DESPITE the rain easing, residents of Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam, Selangor sleep will not come easily to them tonight.

They are afraid of another downpour and do not want to be caught unawares like what happened last month.

This afternoon’s heavy rain raised concerns as water from overflowing drains reached the porch of some houses, forcing many to park their vehicles on higher ground.

Ambulance driver Mohd Anas, 51, said it is unlikely he is able to sleep tonight due to the possibility of rain.

“Even after a three-hour rain, this area gets flooded so I should be on standby tonight in case it rains again,” Anas told The Malaysian Insight.

“After what happened the last time, I can’t afford to be trapped in my house for days again.

“So if it rains at night, I will most likely leave and go to my cousin’s house in Klang,” said Anas who has been staying in Taman Sri Muda for more than 15 years.

He added that the trauma he and his wife faced during last month’s flood has made them always feel uneasy even if it rains for an hour.

Heavy rainfall before and over the weekend of December 17-18 caused massive flooding in several states, including parts of central Peninsular Malaysia such as Selangor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Pahang.

The floods displaced more than 70,000 people at its height and killed 55.

Selangor was one of the worst-hit states where thousands had to be evacuated.

Selva Kumar, 47, agreed with Anas that he will not be sleeping tonight as it looks like there would be rain tonight.

“I lost my car in the flood, so I will be very alert when it pours again.

“We will have to walk to the nearest shelter in case the situation changes tonight.

“We really hope it won’t rain again tonight because we have already lost everything in the flood.

“If this place gets flooded again, I will most likely shift to another area for good,” he said.

Housewife Goh How Ling, 48, said that her family had packed some of their belongings in the house earlier today in case they had to evacuate.

“We heard a sound which we assumed was the siren, so we started packing.

“It’s not easy living in Taman Sri Muda but this is all we have to call home.

“We also can’t afford to move to a new place since we lost most of our belongings during the flood in December,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kota Kemuning assemblyman V. Ganabatirau said he had urged the relevant authorities to be on standby should the situation worsen.

“I have assessed the situation and I have told the authorities to be on standby and on alert. For now things are under control.

“What I saw was the clogged drainage system. I want to remind everyone not to throw rubbish in the drains.

Earlier Taman Sri Muda residents began parking their cars on higher ground as flash floods hit along Jalan Tokoh 25/8, near the Valencia Condominium.

Drains in the neighbourhood started to overflow following a heavy downpour and water levels reached the front porch of several houses as residents scrambled to move their valuables to higher ground.

The heavy downpour started just after 2pm today. – January 24, 2022.