Flash floods hit Singapore: 5 rescued by SCDF from own vehicles
UPDATE: PUB said in a Facebook post on Friday (20 August) afternoon that it is investigating the cause of the flood at the Pasir Ris-Tampines junction to ascertain if there are any nearby construction works that had tempered with drains or obstructed the drainage flow of stormwater, as the junction is not a low-lying area or a flood hot spot.
SINGAPORE — Five people had to be rescued from their partially submerged vehicles by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) after flash floods were reported in Singapore on Friday morning (20 August).
SCDF said in a media statement that it received a call for assistance at the junction of Tampines Avenue 10 and Pasir Ris Drive 12 at about 7.40am.
Upon arrival, officers found 13 vehicles stationary and partially submerged in water.
"About 25 people had evacuated from these vehicles prior to SCDF's arrival. SCDF personnel brought five people from four of these vehicles to safety under nearby sheltered areas," said SCDF.
"SCDF conveyed one person to Changi General Hospital for leg pains."
Videos and photos of the floods circulated on social media.
#SGFlood Drivers avoid Pasir Ris Drive 12 junction to IKEA Tampines. pic.twitter.com/ctsmHFmXsM
— Edwin Loh (@edwin_loh) August 20, 2021
In a Facebook post at around 6.30am, national water agency Public Utilities Board (PUB) warned of heavy rain over the northern, eastern and central areas of Singapore from 7:30am onwards.
At 8.02am, it said in another post that flash floods had occurred at the slip roads along Tampines Ave 10 and Pasir Ris Drive 12 towards the Tampines Expressway entrance.
Minutes later, it put up a third post listing 10 areas to avoid for the next hour, as heavy rain had caused water levels in drains and canals to reach 90 per cent in these areas.
The areas were: Siang Kuang Ave (Unit 35), Upper Paya Lebar Road, Lorong Gambir/Gambir Walk, Puay Hee Ave/Siak Kew Ave, Lorong 2 Toa Payoh (Blk 122), Langsat Road/Lorong 105 Changi, Macpherson Road/Playfair Road, Mount Vernon Road, Playfair Road OD (Bartley Rd East), Jalan Lokam/Upper Paya Lebar Road, Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1/Teck Whye Lane, Woodlands Road/Kranji Expressway, Choa Chu Kang Way/Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1.
At about 9.40am, PUB updated its post to say that the flash flood at the slip roads at Pasir Ris had subsided.
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