Major Flood Expected Beginning Mid October, Be Prepared!

Rows of damaged vehicles (Photo: Facebook/Zali Bekam JB)

Selangorians are urged to prepare for worsening weather conditions by Selangor Menteri Besar, Dato Seri Amirudin Shari. He announced the possibility that the State Government would declare a climate emergency especially for residents in Klang and Kuala Selangor where sea levels are expected to hit 5.5 metres.

Similar woes were echoed by Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who said that KL flood mitigation plan is only half complete as of now but Kuala Lumpur dwellers are unlikely to see a repeat of last December’s massive flood.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia) also predicts continuous rainfall beginning next October with worst floods anticipated towards the end of November.

According to chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, overall losses due to floods nationwide for the period of Dec 2021 to Jan 2022 were RM6.1bil.

One sector hit hard during the last flood episode was the automotive industry, in particular the used car dealers. Many of them incurred massive losses when their car lots were submerged damaging all the vehicles. Most vehicles would have to be fixed at the dealer's cost while some written-off due to the high cost required.

To add-on, most used car lots are located at lower-ground areas due to its affordable rental and are not covered by property insurance. The vehicles on the lot in most cases too would not have any special-perils insurance add-on that covers floods and natural disasters.

Caricarz managed to reach out to one such used car dealer Nazri Amin (Edaria Motor) to get his feedback of preparations taken to brace the anticipated flood. However, he has no plans to move the vehicle because there is no other space available. He hopes the government would hear their plights and aid in providing special vehicle storage spaces so that they could operate without any worries.  

Another used vehicle operator who declined to be identified said that he did not make any preparations despite reading various news regarding the floods that will hit several states this November.

For the record, more than 50,000 cars drowned in floods in eight states, especially Selangor and Pahang last year hence it is best for all parties to protect their interest and property as we soldier through the anticipated upcoming floods.