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Heavy rains triggered flash floods lasting about half an hour at three locations in Singapore yesterday afternoon.
The national water agency PUB said around 9 p.m. there were flash floods on Upper Paya Lebar Road, Lorong Gambir and Mount Vernon Road.
Water and canal levels also rose to 90 percent at eight other locations, including MacPherson Road, Balestier Road, and Sims Drive, with the heaviest 131.4mm precipitation recorded in Tai Seng from 14.40 to 18.10.
This is more than half of Singapore’s average monthly rainfall in November, PUB said.
Flash floods occurred on Upper Paya Lebar Road and Lorong Gambir around 3pm, followed by Mount Vernon Road around 3.20pm
PUB, which issued flood warnings for all three locations at 3.03pm and 3.18pm, deployed rapid response teams to provide assistance to affected areas and inspect the drainage system for obstructions.
To stem the floodwaters, residents of the Paya Lebar Gardens estate along Upper Paya Lebar Road used portable flood barriers provided by PUB officials, who also distributed inflatable sandbags as an additional precaution against flooding.
“The water was flowing very fast, in waves,” said Ms Annalyn Ooi, who was stunned when she saw the canal grown next to her block on Balam Road in Geylang, where she has lived for five years.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the waters almost rise beyond the canal,” added the 36-year-old real estate agent, who got caught in a traffic jam on the Central Freeway while on her way home during the downpour.
Singapore motorists were also hampered by heavy rain that knocked down some trees.
A tree fell on MacPherson Road towards Paya Lebar, rendering it impassable. It cleared around 4:20 p.m., a NParks spokesperson said.
Another tree landed on a car on Zion Road, outside Great World, at 5.40pm and was cleared around 6.15pm.
Most trees in public areas are inspected once every six to 24 months, and more frequently in certain areas, an NParks spokesperson said, adding that checks will be carried out to manage damaged trees after the storm.
Singapore’s Meteorological Service said more rain is expected in the next two weeks, due to inter-monsoon weather. Stormy rains are forecast in parts of Singapore between the afternoon and evening on most days of the first two weeks of this month.
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