Penang flood: Residents in low-lying areas on alert

GEORGE TOWN: Residents in low-lying areas are preparing to evacuate their homes, following floods at several places across the island and mainland triggered by a non-stop downpour since midnight.
Chuah Eng Teik, 56, who stays in a flood-prone area in Jalan P. Ramlee, said his two-storey home had been struck by floods in Sept and Nov last year.
"Luckily, the rain has eased for now," he said, expressing relief that his home was not inundated with water.
To date, no major incident has been reported in Air Itam, the neighbourhood which was hit by floods two months ago.
On Nov 4 and 5 last year, Penang experienced massive flooding, which temporarily displaced some 5,000 people.
Checks by theSun at Medan Lumba Kuda and Jalan Goh Guan Ho found that many residents had shifted their cars to higher ground as a precautionary measure.
Sungai Air Itam and Sungai Pinang have yet to burst its banks, but has already reached the alert level according to the local authorities, following the continuous downpour.