Flash floods hit Chai Chee after heavy
downpour
Published on Oct 28, 2013
11:02 PM

Flash floods hit Chai Chee on Monday afternoon after a heavy downpour, leaving some vehicles stranded. The flood at the
junction of New Upper Changi Road and Chai Chee Road made the roads, at one point, impassable to traffic. -- PHOTO:
STOMP
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh
Flash floods hit Chai Chee on Monday afternoon after a heavy downpour, leaving some vehicles stranded.
The flood at the junction of New Upper Changi Road and Chai Chee Road made the roads, at one point,
impassable to traffic.
National water agency PUB put out a warning about the floods on their Twitter page.
The waters subsided in half an hour. By 5 pm, the road was once more passable to traffic.
The National Environment Agency had issued a heavy rain warning earlier in the day, at around 3 pm,
cautioning that moderate to heavy thundery showers would hit many areas of Singapore.
More, and heavier, monsoon rains ahead
December and January rainfall could be up to 20% higher: Met Service
Published on Oct 29, 2013
6:50 AM
The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said on Monday that in-house weather models have predicted that total rainfall
this coming December and January could be 10 per cent to 20 per cent above average. -- ST FILE PHOTO: KUA CHEE
SIONG
By David Ee
KEEP your brolly handy - this coming monsoon season could be even wetter than normal.
The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said yesterday that in-house weather models have predicted
that total rainfall this coming December and January could be 10 per cent to 20 per cent above average.
This could mean more thunderstorms and rainy days.
Singapore's north-east monsoon season wet phase typically occurs between mid-November and January.
Historical records show average monthly rainfall during those months at between 240mm and 300mm,
with rain falling over about half of each month.
The south-west monsoon between June and September generally brings less rain.
Singapore is currently facing a "neutral phase" between the extreme El Nino and La Nina climate
phenomena, said MSS senior meteorological officer Chow Kwok Wah.
Rainfall this time "may be comparable" to last year's north-east monsoon when similar conditions
prevailed, he added. Then, a total of 572mm of rain fell in November and December, above the historical
average of 554mm.
The La Nina phenomenon, a cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean that occurs every three to four years, can
bring heavier rainfall to South-east Asia.
With flood risks in mind, national water agency PUB has stepped up drainage maintenance efforts from
once to three times a week. It will also inspect 100 construction sites to ensure nearby drains remain
obstacle-free.
Longer-term, it is planning to improve drainage at 36 new locations, including eastern areas like Chai Chee
Road and MacPherson Road, which were flooded this year. This adds to 176 drainage improvement works
in progress.
Last month, flash floods hit western Singapore, temporarily shutting down the Ayer Rajah Expressway.
Yesterday, heavy showers caused flash flooding at the junction of New Upper Changi Road and Chai Chee
Road, which was closed to traffic at one point.
PUB chief executive Chew Men Leong said the agency is doing all it can to prepare for heavy rain. He
added: "We are dealing with nature, which is a powerful force. Despite our best efforts, it is not possible
for us to eliminate flash floods."
Businesses are also getting prepared. Italian restaurant Pasta Fresca da Salvatore, which experienced
flooding outside its Bukit Timah premises in February, said it will rely on PUB flood alerts. If the flood
poses any danger to customers and staff, it may close for the day.
At Rochester Mall, Pies & Coffee cafe manager Rizal Bahuri said: "Obviously I'm worried. If it floods, we
won't make sales."
Heavy storms have become more frequent here over the last few decades. Preliminary findings by the
National Environment Agency found global climate change may cause Singapore to become even hotter
and wetter by the next century.
davidee@sph.com.sg
Additional reporting by Charissa Yong
Storm kills 3 in Britain and Netherlands,
shuts down power, trains
Published on Oct 28, 2013
8:27 PM
People wait at a bus stop by a damaged tree in Brentford, west London, on Oct 28, 2013. A strong storm battered Britain and
the Netherlands on Monday, Oct 28, 2013, killing three people, cutting power and forcing hundreds of plane and train
cancellations as it moved on across mainland Europe. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON (REUTERS) - A strong storm battered Britain and the Netherlands on Monday, killing three
people, cutting power and forcing hundreds of plane and train cancellations as it moved on across
mainland Europe.
Winds of up to 160 kmh lashed southern England and Wales, disrupting the travel plans of millions of
commuters - the worst storm recorded in Britain in a decade.
A 17-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell onto her home while she slept in the county of Kent, southeast of London, while a man in his 50s was killed when a tree crushed his car in the town of Watford, just
north of the capital.
Thin volumes on London's financial markets suggested many traders had been stuck at home. A crane
smashed into the Cabinet Office, a ministry in the heart of London, forcing Deputy Prime Minister Nick
Clegg to cancel a press conference.
Heavy winds also swept across the low-lying Netherlands, uprooting trees and shutting down all train
traffic to Amsterdam. They were forecast to peak at more than 130 kmh by early afternoon.
A woman was killed and two people were seriously hurt by falling trees in the Dutch capital, and a ferry
carrying 1,000 people from the English city of Newcastle was unable to dock in the port of IJmuiden and
returned to sea.
Fifty flights at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport were cancelled, and Rotterdam Port, Europe's busiest, said
incoming and outgoing vessels were delayed.
In France, winds topping 100 kmh struck the north and north-west, felling trees, whipping up seas and
cutting power supplies to around 75,000 homes, according to the ERDF electricity distribution company.
"The thing that's unusual about this one is that most of our storms develop out over the Atlantic so that
they've done all their strengthening and deepening by the time they reach us," said Ms Helen Chivers,
spokesman for Britain's Met office on Sunday. "This one is developing as it crosses the UK, which is why
it brings the potential for significant disruption... and that doesn't happen very often."
The worst of the storm in Britain had passed by late morning, despite strong winds still battering the east
coast. It was headed towards the Netherlands.
London-based trading in sterling against the US dollar and the euro was particularly hit, with volumes at
around two thirds of normal levels, while British government bond trading was running at barely half its
normal volume.
In southern England, toppled trees damaged properties and flooding made some roads impassable.
About 180,000 customers in Britain were left without power in one of the worst storms to hit England
since the 1987 "Great Storm" which killed 18 people and felled around 15 million trees.
A 14-year old boy was missing after being swept out to sea on Sunday afternoon before the storm hit.
Police said rescuers were forced to call off a search for him late on Sunday due to the pounding waves.
London's Heathrow airport said 130 flights were cancelled.
As the working week began, London's commuter train service was shut down while several Tube lines,
which run both underground and overground, were partially suspended due to obstructed tracks.
Eleven dead as storm lashes northern Europe
Published on Oct 29, 2013
6:07 AM
A picture shows an uprooted tree that fell on a car at the Ruysdaelkade canal in Amsterdam following a heavy storm on Oct
28, 2013. At least 11 people were killed on Monday as a fierce storm tore across northern Europe, causing mass disruption to
transport.
LONDON (AFP) - At least 11 people were killed on Monday as a fierce storm tore across northern Europe,
causing mass disruption to transport.
Four people were killed in Britain and three in Germany as heavy rain and high winds battered the region.
The storm also claimed two victims in The Netherlands, one in France and one in Denmark.
Rough conditions at sea also forced rescuers to abandon the search for a 14-year-old boy who disappeared
while playing in the surf on a southern English beach on Sunday.
British Prime Minister David Cameron described the loss of life as "hugely regrettable".
Winds reached 159kmh on the Isle of Wight off the southern English coast, according to Britain's Met
Office national weather centre, while more than 500,000 homes in Britain and France were left without
power.
Heavy rain and winds of 128kmh elsewhere brought down thousands of trees and left hundreds of
passengers trapped in planes at Copenhagen airport.
In Britain, a 17-year-old girl died after a tree fell on the parked caravan where she was sleeping, while a
51-year-old father of three died when a tree hit his car, police said.
The bodies of a man and a woman were later found in the rubble of three houses in London that collapsed
in an explosion thought to have been caused by a gas pipe being ruptured in the storm.
A woman in Amsterdam was killed by a falling tree as she walked along a canal, while in Germany three
people were killed when trees fell on their cars.
A 22-year-old man was killed by a falling branch in the central Dutch town of Veenendaal, although high
winds had died down by early evening.
In France, a 47-year-old woman was swept away by waves on the island of Belle-Ile in Brittany and her
body was found on a beach several hours later.
The storm claimed an eleventh victim in Denmark when a man was hit by a flying brick as a wall
collapsed in the port town of Gilleleje.
Some 460,000 homes lost power across Britain, with a further 75,000 homes affected in northern France,
according to industry organisations. Thousands were later re-connected.
The electricity also went down at a nuclear power station in southeast England. Dungeness B station
automatically closed down both its reactors, leaving its diesel generators to provide power for essential
safety systems.
The storm sparked mass cancellations of train services across southern England, Denmark, The
Netherlands and parts of Germany, while a spokeswoman for Copenhagen's main airport said some 500
people were trapped in their planes when strong winds made it impossible to connect stairways to the exits.
The airport later said it was closed for all inbound and outbound traffic.
London's Heathrow airport cancelled 130 flights, about 10 percent, while delays were reported on the
Eurostar cross-Channel train service due to speed restrictions.
More than 450 people were stranded on two ferries outside the English port of Dover after it closed for
more than two hours, finally docking shortly after 9am (5pm Singapore time).
Even Buckingham Palace in London was affected, although Queen Elizabeth II was not staying there at the
time.
A spokeswoman said several slates fell off the roof and two of the windows were cracked.
And Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg had to cancel his monthly press conference because the
government building where he works was closed after a crane fell on the roof.
The Met Office said 50mm of rain fell in some areas of Britain overnight, while the Environment Agency
issued around 130 flood alerts.
The storm was named Christian in France and dubbed St Jude by the British media, after the patron saint
of lost causes whose feast day is on Monday.
It had been predicted to be the worst for a decade but the devastation was not as bad as many feared, and
fell far short of that caused by the "Great Storm" of October 1987.
During that storm, 22 people died in Britain and France and the damage was estimated at £1 billion (S$2
billion).