Singapore’s Orchard Road hit by freak flood

SINGAPORE: Heavy rain caused the worst flooding in 26 years in acentral shopping district here and snarled traffic throughout the island.
Rescuers pulled out about 70 passengers from cars and buses as floods shut down Orchard Road, which is lined with high-end shopping malls popular with tourists.

Also, one of Singapore’s main highways was closed for hours, blocked by a large tree that fell in the storm.

No one was injured, the Civil Defence Force said.

About 10cm of rain fell within two hours yesterday morning — about 60 per cent of the average monthly rainfall for this month, said the Public Utility Board.

“This is the worst flooding we’ve seen in this area since 1984,” Yap Kheng Guan, a utility board director, said in televised comments.

“We’re clearing out sewer blockages and will investigate the flooding.”

Floodwaters rose to about 0.6m in a string of stores below street level in the Liat Towers mall andsubmerged cars stalled on Orchard Road.

The Civil Defence said by afternoon when the rain had stopped, it had pumped out the water from affected buildings. Flooding is unusual in Singapore, which prides itself on its excellent infrastructure. — AP