By Ahmed Wafi
GOMBAK, 17 January 2017 – In Malaysia they say when it rains it pours but even the most Malaysian citizens would have been shocked by the storm that rampaged through parts of Setapak and Gombak earlier this evening around 4.00p.m. The skies had begun to look gloomy earlier in the day suggesting heavy rain but not many were expecting the calmness to indicate such a storm.
Heavy rains began to pour that evening accompanied by strong winds that was a nightmare for housewives who chose to dry their laundry. From an apartment balcony, it would not be unusual to see pieces of clothing flying through the air as the gusting winds were strong enough to rip clothes off their hangers.
The IIUM Gombak campus seemed to have suffered heavily with trees collapsing, blocking the roads. If that was not enough, the drainage system in the campus gave way which subsequently caused flash flood, most notably in front of the Kulliyyah of Architecture. This had left some cars stranded in the knee deep floods.
Cars that were parked under the trees to take shelter from the sun also suffered as some trees had collapsed and damaged these cars. Sources told  IIUMToday that there were people who were stuck in some of the cars under the fallen trees but were safe.
This was not be the first time IIUM had suffered from flash floods, and the most notable one that took place in the Gombak campus was in 2013 during final semester exams. Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, was visiting IIUM during that week.
Fortunately, not many students suffered from this storm as most students are currently back in their respective hometowns enjoying the end-of-semester holidays. However, neighbours Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) was worse off as students are still around in campus sitting for their final exams.
Reports in social media showed that the storm had caused roofs to be ripped off the buildings around the UniKL Gombak campus.
Praise is due to the IIUM management for quickly clearing the fallen debris to ease the flow of traffic.***
