A flash flood

Describe how bad weather conditions affected the people living in your area.

It was the worst rainy weather I had seen. The skies remained overcast as sheets of rain poured
down without stopping. In the evenings, the rain was usually accompanied by blinding flashes of
lightning and deafening peals of thunder. Most of the residents in my area remained confined
indoors. Apart from people scurrying to and from work and school, there was little outdoor
activity.
The town where I live, Kuantan, faces the Pahang iver. After three days ofincessant rain, the
swollen river burst its banks and unleashed its fury on the residents. Many of the residents ere
caught off!guard. As the floodwaters rose, many of the residents were forced to flee their homes.
Although our area was a flood!prone area, many were caught by surprise as this was not the
monsoon season. "very year, the north!east monsoon would bring heavy rains to the east coast at
the end of each year. #owever, the sudden floods in the middle of the year caused $itters among
the residents.
#ouses were inundated. The heavy downpour also triggered landslides, causing further damage
to houses. The heavy rain caused traffic woes as many vehicles were stalled. %ome motorists
were seen pushing their stalled vehicles while others were stranded.
&hen the rain did not abate after two consecutive days, people began to be evacuated to higher
ground. Many took shelter in a secondary school nearby which was turned into a temporary relief
center. Most of the residents did not have time to salvage their belongings. %everal residents
from nearby villages were marooned in the area after road links were cut off by the floodwaters.
'arious authorities were deployed to help evacuate and supply food to the flood victims. %trong
winds aggravated the situation as several trees were uprooted. oofs of houses were ripped off
and went hurtling away n the fierce winds.
After a week of continuous downpour, the rain finally showed signs of abating. The overcast
skies finally cleared. The faint glow of the sun(s rays brought cheer and relief to the people
affected by the floods. People started to return to their homes. After a week of uncertainty and
chaos, life returned to normal.

incessant continuous

inundated flooded


marooned become isolated