Pix by Ahmad Mukhsein Mukhtar
ALOR STAR: Floodwaters have disrupted business in the city centre here, inundating Jalan Pintu Sepuluh and Darul Aman Highway with water levels reaching knee height.
Heavy rain upstream and high tides along the coast caused Sungai Kedah to overflow between noon and 5pm, leading to road closures and heavy traffic.
Restaurant owner Datuk Muhammad Annas Mohamad Anuar, 38, was forced to stop operations after floodwaters damaged his equipment.
"I rushed from Sungai Petani to check on the restaurant. This is the first time it has flooded since I opened in 2014. The previous owners faced a similar situation in 2010, but this caught me off guard.
"I'm facing about RM15,000 in losses due to damaged appliances," he said, adding that the water rose too quickly to move his equipment.
Reconditioned car sales manager Suhairi Zainuddin was better prepared, relocating around 100 cars to higher ground the day before.
"We took precautions, and, Alhamdulillah, none of the cars were affected. Today's flooding was worse than yesterday's, so we'll keep the cars in elevated parking until Sunday," he said.
Further checks near the Sultan Abdul Halim Airport in Titi Gajah here showed that the surrounding residential areas were also affected.
Masjid Tuan Hussain secretary Musa Bari said while the mosque's prayer room remained dry, the compound was flooded to knee height.
"Alhamdulillah, the mosque floor is elevated enough to prevent water from entering the prayer room. People are welcome to come and pray as usual. We still plan to hold Friday prayers tomorrow (Sept 20) if conditions remain the same," he said when met at the mosque in Kampung Seberang.
However, he said, the mosque's office, library, and multipurpose halls were flooded.
Kedah has been hit with severe floods since Monday, with the Kota Setar district being the hardest hit.
According to the Welfare Department's Disaster Information mobile application, 1,602 victims from 488 families in Kota Setar have been evacuated to flood relief centres up to 6.30pm today (Sept 19).
Statewide, the total stands at 4,377 victims from 1,299 families, in what is described as the state's worst flooding in 14 years.