Wind Struck Trees

Freak storm and strong winds wreak havoc in Penang, Kedah and Perlis

GEORGE TOWN: A downpour coupled with strong winds close to 50kph battered most parts of Perlis, Kedah and Penang last night, uprooting many trees and causing damage to property.

In the storm, that began about 10pm and ended close to midnight in Penang, the Fire and Rescue Department received many reports over trees blocking roads in Batu Ferringhi and Butterworth.

The Penang International Airport was badly hit when a large portion of the terminal’s roof, close to Gate B7, appeared to have been sheared off by strong winds. The incident was caught on video by a worker from the control tower.

One of the terminal’s automatic glass doors at the departure area was also shattered.

Many trees were reported to have fallen along Jalan Batu Ferringhi, Green Lane, Jelutong and Bayan Baru. In Seberang Perai, reports of fallen trees came from as far as Nibong Tebal in the south and Butterworth in the north.

A video showed the Bukit Mertajam KTM station with a torn roof hanging precariously over electric cables.

Penang executive councillor Phee Boon Poh said as of 11pm, five people had been reported hurt on the mainland and they had been sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital.

Several pictures were shared on WhatsApp claiming that “a few had died” after being struck by zinc roofs. However, authorities could not verify this at the time of writing.

In Perlis, a pasar malam in Kangar appeared to be desolate, as strong winds turned the place into a “war zone”.

Langkawi appeared to be the first to bear the brunt of the storm as it moved southward. Bernama reported 26 areas were badly affected.

Many trees were uprooted in the Pantai Cenang area and many street lamp poles came crashing down.

A Meteorological Department warning at 10.10pm indicated that the storm was expected to continue up to 2am, affecting the northern Malacca Strait, Phuket, Samu and Condore.

The department also forecast winds as strong as 50kph and waves as high as 3.5m.