Bad start to the week: Penampang floods for second time in 3 days
June 10th, 2008Oh no, not again! Talk about Monday blues and the the amazing speed at which Penampang gets flooded these days.
I was at the office when my son called around 4pm saying water from the river has reached downstairs. Never mind I thought - relatively, it’s usually a mere puddle the 2nd time.
How wrong I was.
When I finally left the office at 5.20pm after receiving a frantic phonecall from the wife a few minutes earlier saying the flood has returned, it was already raining … you guessed it right … cats and dogs.
It was a big mistake leaving the office at that time - I should left the office much earlier - it took me 90 minutes to reach my wife’s office on the other side of the city, where it should’ve taken 30 minutes at most, and during the best of times, less than 10 minutes.
Another tip is to switch on the radio to the local channel - they usually give updates on flood situations - I was in front of Sutera Harbour when the police went on the radio saying the road in front of Airport View Hotel was flooded - no wonder it’s jam packed on both roads from Kota Kinabalu city centre leading there!
Predictably, due to the delay caused by the traffic gridlock, I could not even reach my house - Inobong road was severely flooded - I think up to waist level at its peak sometime in the evening.
So we spent the night at my wife’s sister’s house near the river but on a hill.
I woke up early the next morning to survey the damage, and this among what I saw:
FRIGHTENING SIGHT: 6.13am: view of Moyog river from Penampang Proper near the bridge -it’s the same level as the road
WITHIN TOUCHING DISTANCE: 6.20am: the Moyog a mere few feet from the bridge
EXPENSIVE CARS ARE NOT EXEMPT: 7.44am: An upmarket SUV stranded on the roadside, Jalan Inobong
INSTANT CAMEL TROPHY TRACK: 7.50am: A Mitsubishi Pajero gingerly making its way in knee-high water on Jalan Inobong. I think last night it was at least waist-level at this spot.
IS THIS A ROAD OR A RIVER: 8.11am: partial view of a flooded 400m stretch of Jalan Inobong
FORCED TO TAKE NATURAL DISASTER LEAVE: 7.46am - yours truly giving thumbs-down while braving Jalan Inobong clad in office wear
To make the thrashing of my day complete, a colleague SMSed around midday to inform that a few rooms at the office were leaking. I think we really need to stock up on a used cisco or two, just in case…
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Bah! Makin teruk oh this. SO your son spent the night at home without you two ka?
Yes, not only my son but my 7-month old daughter
although this is not worst than the 2000 (?) flood… it still bad…
Alamak, any mention of that 1999 flood must be treated with reverence like the reaction the clueless lady got in the movie Twister when she asked “what’s an F5?” I think the flood of the 9th of June 2008 was not even as bad as 2004: people at the house said it was 5 stairsteps away from the house floor, whereas in 2004 it was a mere 2 or 3 stairsteps away, and in 1999 it was about 1 foot INSIDE the house (and this house is sitting on 8 or 9-feet tall stilts!)
whoa…
so bad ah?
kasihan jugak kamurang di P6pang kan?
Nasib baik Putatan masih lg okok. Tapi nampaknye itu Sungai Petagas pun sudah terhakis sebab construction di airport…
Maybe we should not only change our lifestyle (the buzzword these days) but also change how we live….live like the dutch do…they have homes that can float. We should also have amphibious vechicles or flood-proof one.
Now that would be an interesting addition to local real estate fairs, and definitely a great business opportunity!
As for amphibious vehicles, perhaps boats are enough for now. However, an intriguing possibility is some kind of flotation device for our cars to get into in case of a big flood, and by thethering it to a building, we’d ensure it won’t die a watery death.
ah.. there..
i tried my luck crossing the place just after the bridge around 9.30pm when i saw a pajero trying its luck. when i look at the height of the water, i u-turned and have to go through terawi-ramayah just go get back home.
flood aside, man, your sister in law’s place has got a beautiful view, with trees, hills and grass!
Your last pic ba… nasib baik tda tmasuk lubang kan… heehe… tinggi owh the air kan… whew…
Expert sudah, tidak akan silap punya
Atukoi… nowadays, malaysia weather totally hard to predict already… unlike football euro2008 kekekekeke
old chinese proverb says…. “if bad luck befalls you in quick sequences… then u will be blessed with very very very good luck in the next few days, weeks or months”…. so in this case…. why dont u try your lucky number using these combinations : flood in 2008, 2004 and 1999 plus a mere 3,4,1 or 5,6 feets away from the house floor… i recommend you play 6/49 toto jackpot using the system 9 where u select 9 lucky numbers between 1 and 49 and just pay rm 96.90 to the cashier…. in no time you will strike at least rm 1.8 million ringgit or if u hit 5 numbers right …. 18 times the 2nd prize that is rm 138.000 x 6 = rm 828,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! trust me… never fear smith is here…