How bad is the rain? Ah — have a look at your window right now if you’re in the Klang Valley, and we’re willing to wager it’s either raining, just rained, or about to. It’s been a helluva wet season this year — just ask the Vios that swam down river via a storm drain last week.
Yesterday’s afternoon was especially unforgiving, with buckets of water pouring from the skies on our fair city over the course of several hours, and wreaking flood havoc throughout.
Oh — you’d like to see some evidence? Well, here are five poor souls who had the unfortunate fate of being stuck in a Tun Razak tunnel leading to KLCC at around 6pm:
All were eventually rescued in good health, but the same could not be said for their vehicles.
Social media users quickly began flooding Facebook and Instagram with their own urban quandary of continuing to drive against rising water, or to wait out the storm:
If you thought because your car was safe and sound parked, well we have some news, and it’s not good:
Another user spoke about being stuck for nearly 40 minutes, after waters in the Cheras area of the city became treacherously high:
And if dangerously high waters weren’t enough, there were also falling trees to contend with along one of the city’s main arteries, Jalan Ampang:
Right — it’s not pretty out there, and earlier this season Malaysia’s Meteorological Department warned us in September that it was going to get bad before it got dry.
We’re not doing our duty as recent car flood victims ourselves if we didn’t give you a 101 of what to do when waters rise, and you’re driving — so here is a brief breakdown of how to handle a dangerously rainy situation in your vehicle. However, our new philosophy is if you can stay inside, ain’t no car ride worth the eye-watering bill you’ll get from a flooded engine.
So, you’ve found yourself in a car, in heavy rain? First thing’s first: Don’t drive through a flooded road, or bridge. Even if it seems like a few centimeters, dangerous circumstances could lurk underneath.
Too late and found yourself stuck inside a flooded car? Get out immediately, and move to higher ground. Swept away in a flooded car? Don’t panic! Wait for it to fill with water, take a deep breath, open the door an swim to the surface. Move over obstacles, not under them, and if you manage to grab hold of a tree — don’t try to swim away: Wait for rescue.
Phew.
And for those of us dealing with a car that got stuck in high waters, remember NOT to turn the engine on — you could be making the situation worse. Call a tow, and get your car out of the flood as soon as possible to minimize water damage and corrosion. Let it dry out, and check your oil for water droplets to see if it’s been contaminated. You’ll probably also want to call a mechanic about now, and try not to cry when you get that bill.
Stay safe, everyone.
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