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JOHOR BARU – Thanks to quick action by the Johor Fire and Rescue Department, 14 children and five teachers from Tadika Umiku Sayang in Kg Mohd Amin here were saved after the city was hit by flash floods this morning.
Senior fire officer ll Nazarudin Yusof said seven firemen from the Larkin fire station and a fire engine were promptly deployed to the location after the state operations centre received an emergency call at 9.30am today.
“Upon arrival at the scene, the Operations Extraction Team rescued and evacuated the trapped victims to a safer place, which was a fast food restaurant located about 550m from the scene,” he said in a statement today.
The operation ended at about 10.45am. The flood water level had been knee-high.
Ihsan Johor chief executive officer Farah Faridah Baptist said her team went to the scene with equipment and transport vehicles to help rescue the trapped teachers and children aged between two and six years before relocating them to the Larkin branch of the same kindergarten.
Meanwhile, the District Disaster Management Committee (JPBD), in a separate statement, said that a total of 10 areas in the district were reported to be affected by the flash floods, which were triggered by heavy rain that started at 6.30am and the high tide phenomenon.
Until noon today, the affected areas were Batu 10, Skudai; Kg Dato Sulaiman Menteri; Tabika Kemas, Skudai Kiri; Kg Mohd Amin; Kg Ubi; Kg Tiram Duku; Kg Peladang; Kg Baru Muafakat; Kg Pekajang and Kg Paya Mengkuang.
However, JPBD said the flood waters at several locations had receded and they were monitoring the situation from time to time.
In Kg Mohd Amin, it was found that the flash flood caused several houses to be submerged in water up to ankles and their compounds up to knees, while the road in front of the houses was flooded to thigh height.
A temporary relief centre was opened at the Seri Bengkal Religious School in Batu Pahat from 8am to accommodate 29 victims from 11 families from Kg Seri Bengkal.
Pontian and Muar districts were reportedly hit by storms, with the Johor Civil Defence Force observing that Kg Sg Naga, Api-Api; Air Baloi and Parit Haji Omar, Kayu Ara Pasong in Pontian were affected while in Muar, the affected areas were Kg Parit Jamil and Sabah Awor. – Bernama, September 25, 2022