Flash floods in many areas

A HEAVY downpour on Friday morning triggered flash floods in many areas of Singapore and toppled trees, unleashing traffic chaos on many roads.

Traffic Police were out in force diverting traffic flow due to the fallen trees which had blocked lanes, grinding traffic to a halt along some stretches.

The PUB said about 100 mm of rain fell between 8 am and 9.30 am, and the amount of rainfall is more than 60 per cent of the average monthly for June.

The heavy rain caused localised flash floods in a number of areas including Bukit Timah Road, Dunearn Road, Thomson Road and Balestier Road junction, and Old Airport Road. The flash floods subsided within 30 minutes, said a PUB statement.

'PUB, Traffic Police and SCDF officers were activated to render assistance on site,' it added, and advised the public to exercise caution as flash floods may still occur in the event of heavy storms.

Massive traffic jams were reported on all the major expressways and road as the downpour came during the morning rush hour.

The darkened morning sky, along with the torrential rain, cut visibility on roads making driving conditions tricky.

Traffic on the Central Expressway (CTE) towards Seletar Expressway after Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 almost came to a standstill due to an obstacle blocking three lanes.

A tree fell outside Orchard Central, near the Somerset MRT station on Orchard Road, blocking three of the five lanes.

Floods were reported at Upper Thomson Road, Sin Ming Road, Bishan, Bukit Timah, Jalan Boon Lay in the direction of Corporation Road.

Friday's floods came a a week after downpours caused the worst flooding of the Orchard Road shopping strip since 1984, trapping commuters in buses and cars, flooding the basement of the Liat Towers building and many shops and restaurants, which reported millions in damage.

On Thursday, the PUB install five debris-trap gratings at the Stamford Canal to prevent Orchard Road from flooding again.

The public can obtain the latest weather reports, including heavy rain warnings, by tuning in to radio broadcasts, calling NEA's weather forecast hotline at 6542 7788, visiting the NEA website at www.nea.gov.sg or accessing the mobile weather service (Weather@SG - weather.nea.gov.sg). The public can also call PUB's 24-hour Call Centre at 1800-284 6600 to report obstructions in drains or to check the flood situation

(source: www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_545466.html)