JOHOR BARU: More than 1,650 residents in the Johor Baru area were affected by flash floods after a heavy downpour on Thursday (Sept 30) morning.

       A Johor Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the Kempas fire station received reports of flash floods in Jalan Permatang Utama and Jalan Denai Utama, Kempas, at 6.24am and 6.52am respectively.

       He said about 500 residents in Jalan Denai Utama and 100 residents of Jalan Permatang were affected by the flash floods.

       “We deployed teams to the locations to assist the residents. There were no injuries or people trapped in their houses by the floods.

       “There was also no relocation of residents to flood relief centres.

       “We will continue to monitor the situation as the waters have started to recede,” he said.

       The spokesman added that about 50 residents in Kampung Laut, Skudai and 1,000 residents of Kampung Kangkar Tebrau were affected by flash floods after the heavy rain.

       Other areas involved included Kampung Melayu Pandan, Kempas Lurah, Taman Skudai Baru, Taman Johor and Kampung Ubi, he said.

       Meanwhile, Johor Baru City Council’s Johor Jaya zone councillor Chan San San, who visited Kampung Melayu Pandan, said heavy rain started at around 5am and lasted about two hours.

       “About 40 families were affected by the incident.

       “The heavy rain caused floodwater to reach just below their windows, but thankfully the situation has improved and the residents have started cleaning up their houses,” she said.