Afternoon storm blows the roofs off several homes in Ipoh

Flash floods in Taman Meru also prevent residents from returning home

The houses affected by the wind gusts were mainly in Taman Meru 2C, where at least 10 homes had parts of their zinc roofing blown off. – Bernama pic, November 13, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR – The D’Aman Residency Meru Raya in Ipoh was struck by flash floods and strong winds, which ripped the roofs off of several homes in this afternoon’s stormy weather.

Two hours of heavy rain saw streets in the area flooded and around 40 houses damaged, Bernama reports.

The houses were mainly in Taman Meru 2C, where at least 10 houses had part of their zinc roofing blown off.

The Perak Civil Defence Auxiliary said it had sent a team and an ambulance to the affected area to assess the situation and to be on standby for any emergencies.

Many residents of the area were seen standing on road dividers watching the floodwaters, unable to access their homes.

In some areas, floodwaters rose to thigh-level and prevented cars and motorcycles from passing through. A few vehicles were also seen submerged in water.

Bernama spoke to a resident named Afifah, 39, who said this was the worst flash flood she had experienced in her four years of living in Taman Meru.

Earlier this evening, there were reports of a flash flood on the PLUS Highway at Ipoh, with traffic piled up for kilometres on end as motorists did not dare brave the waters.

Traffic on major interstate highways was already slow-moving this afternoon as motorists made the journey back to the Klang Valley following the three-day weekend for Deepavali.

The Meteorological Department has issued a warning for thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds in 12 states until 9pm tonight.

It also issued an alert-level continuous rain warning for Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Sabah, from November 16 to 19. – November 13, 2023