Update 20 Feb 2022: Trees fall on vehicles amid heavy rain on Sunday afternoon
Photos and videos on WhatsApp showed trees and branches falling on roads and vehicles amid heavy rain on Sunday (Feb 20) afternoon. (Images: Tie Lok Tiing, CNA Reader)
Heavy rain fell across parts of Singapore on Sunday (Feb 20) afternoon, with photos and videos circulating on WhatsApp showing vehicles damaged by falling trees and branches.
National water agency PUB issued warnings of flood and heavy rain on several occasions, one of which was a flash flood warning for Upper Paya Lebar Road at 4.35pm. "Due to heavy rain, water levels in drains have reached 90 per cent in these areas ... Please avoid the above areas for the next one hour," said PUB in a Facebook post.
The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) warned on Twitter of "thundery showers over many areas" in the afternoon. Photos and videos on WhatsApp showed trees and branches falling on vehicles amid the rain on Sunday.
Punggol resident almost impaled by tree that fell on car during thunderstorm
The tree, which is about four storeys tall, landed directly on top of Mr Gary Gong's Toyota Camry. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS READER
A Punggol resident found himself pinned in the driver's seat by a tree that fell on his car on Sunday afternoon (Feb 20).
During a thunderstorm at around 3pm, the tree at Block 289C Punggol Place fell and crashed through a shelter just as Mr Gary Gong, 54, was about to turn into the carpark of the estate where he lives.
The tree, which is about four storeys tall, then landed directly on top of Mr Gong's Toyota Camry. Two of its branches, which Mr Gong, a part-time real estate agent, estimated to be about 10cm in diameter each, shattered the windscreen and a window and went into the car.
Outram Area Cordoned Off For Repair Works
Landslide In Outram Near York Hill Occurred Due To Continuous Heavy Rain On 2 Jan
Just 3 days into the new year, Singapore has already seen unprecedented levels of heavy rain and cold weather due to the La Nina phenomenon. While many are relishing the aircon weather, the torrential downpour has started wreaking havoc around the island with flash floods.
Now, landslides have also occurred, with one that took place behind Furama Riverfront Hotel — near York Hill and Outram Secondary School in Outram. Authorities have been alerted to the incident and the area is now cordoned off for repair works. In a video posted by SG Road Vigilante, muddy soil can be seen sliding down a slope in Outram on Saturday (2 Jan).
Minor soil slippage at 3 other locations. Apart from Outram, SLA noted that several minor soil slippage incidents also took place at:
- Kusu Island
- Lazarus Island
- St John’s Island
Mini-landslide in Outram due to heavy rain
A slurry of mud and soil, softened by copious amounts of rain water, flowed down a small hill from Jalan Minyak onto the service road of Furama Riverfront hotel in Outram on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021.
The footage of soil movement on the small hill, about several storeys high, appeared to have been shot from the hotel, which is located a stone's throw away from Outram Secondary School. The top of the hill is at the edge of the school.
The viscous debris that flowed onto the road appeared to be loosened earth that have been stripped of any vegetation foliage. However, it appears that the service road was cordoned off prior to this mudslide. The existing residual debris on the road indicate that a mudslide had occurred previously.
Heavy rain-induced mini landslide destroys monsoon drain railings beside slip road into Loyang Ave
Heavy rains across Singapore since the start of the new year has resulted in at least one case of destruction to public property. A video uploaded to Facebook on Jan. 2, 2021, showed a mini landslide occurring in Pasir Ris. The soil run-off crashed into the railings along the monsoon drain, causing them to bend over.
At least five of the railings were folded over the edge of the drain as they cannot take the weight of the soil being washed off. Soil appeared to have been exposed as the green grass covering slipped downhill towards the drain.
The exact location of the monsoon drain is beside the slip road connecting Tampines Expressway to Loyang Avenue.
LTA Completes Slope Repairs After Erosion Due To Rain
The recent constant downpour over the past few days caused several landslides and some flooding, but as the rain eased on Sunday (3 Jan), works began to fix these issues.
One of these was a slope erosion at the slip road of the Tampines Expressway (TPE) to Loyang Avenue. Thus, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) closed off the the slip road since Saturday (2 Jan) to make repairs to the slope.
The slope erosion occurred next to the slip road at TPE to Loyang Ave. Since then, they’ve closed off the slip road to start on repairs.
Fort Canning’s Majestic Banyan Tree Falls Due To Heavy Rain, Netizen Pays Tribute To ‘Grande Dame’
22m-Tall Tree Topples Over Due To Soil Failure, Sight Saddens Nature Lover Who Has Fond Memories Of It
While many Singaporeans appreciated the cool weather resulting from the heavy rainfall over the weekend, there were some unfortunate casualties. The rain caused floods in some areas and even landslides, but perhaps the most saddening of all was the toppling of a heritage tree in Fort Canning.
The demise of the tree prompted a nature lover to wax lyrical in a Facebook post, calling the tree a “Grande Dame” of Fort Canning. It’s obvious that he was saddened by the sight, which brought back memories of the tree’s heyday.
The tree, which was located on a slope of Fort Canning Hill, was a Burmese banyan, the National Parks Board (NParks) told The Straits Times (ST). The roots of the 22m-tall tree came loose due to “soil failure” brought on by the heavy rain from 1-2 Jan. Thus, the tree collapsed, damaging part of the escalators, NParks added.
Iconic 22m heritage tree at Fort Canning Park collapses after intense rainfall
A grandiose heritage tree at Fort Canning Park has collapsed as a result of the torrential rain over the weekend. The incident happened at about 9:40am on Jan. 2 2021.
The National Parks Board (NParks) was alerted that the 22m heritage tree, a Burmese Banyan (Ficus kurzii), had fallen. A Burmese Banyan can grow up to 30m tall and has distinct aerial roots. This particular Burmese Banyan is one of the three in Singapore that has been recognised as a heritage tree.
A tree can be nominated as a heritage tree if it has a girth of more than five metres and/or has botanical, social, historical, cultural or aesthetic value. According to Ryan Lee, the Group Director of Fort Canning Park & Istana, National Parks Board (NParks), the tree had lost its grip as a result of a soil failure due to the consecutive days of intense rain.
The tree has collapsed onto the pavement and damaged a section of the sheltered escalators from Jubilee Park leading up to Fort Canning Hill. Fortunately, there were no visitors in the vicinity at that time.
Fallen trees
A tree fell in MacPherson Road towards Paya Lebar, causing it to be unpassable. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Motorists around Singapore were also hampered by the lashing rain which brought down some trees. A tree fell in MacPherson Road towards Paya Lebar, causing it to be impassable. It was cleared by about 4.20pm, said an NParks spokesman.
Another tree landed on a car along Zion Road outside Great World City at 5.40pm and was cleared at around 6.15pm.
Most trees in public areas are inspected once every six to 24 months, and more often in certain areas, said the NParks spokesman, adding that checks will be carried out to manage the damaged trees after the storm.
Heavy rain in afternoon leads to flash floods in several areas of Singapore and fallen trees
Two people approach a stranded driver from a house at Gambir Walk with water scoops, during heavy rain on Nov 2, 2020. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Heavy rain caused flash floods lasting for about half an hour at three locations in Singapore on Monday afternoon (Nov 2).
National water agency PUB said at around 9pm there were flash floods in Upper Paya Lebar Road, Lorong Gambir and Mount Vernon Road.
Water levels in drains and canals also rose to 90 per cent of their capacity in eight other locations, including MacPherson Road, Balestier Road and Sims Drive. The heaviest rainfall of around 131.4mm recorded at Tai Seng from 2.40pm to 6.10 pm is more than half of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in November, said PUB.
Flash floods reported in parts of Singapore after heavy rain
An ambulance is seen stuck in flood water near Changi fire station on Jun 23 morning. (Photo: Nicholas Ong)
Flash floods were reported in parts of Singapore on Tuesday (Jun 23) after heavy rain in the morning.
At around 6.30am, the National Environment Agency (NEA) warned that moderate to heavy showers were expected over many parts of Singapore.
"PUB says flash floods may occur in the event of heavy rain," it added on Twitter.
PUB Issues Flood Warnings On 2 Jan Morning As Rain Continues Overnight From New Year’s Day
Well, it seems the persistent downpour has also taken its toll on some of our drainage systems as the Public Utilities Board (PUB) issued 7 flood warnings on its Twitter page over the course of 1 hour on Saturday (2 Jan) morning.
The locations were found all across the island, from Boon Lay in the West to Bedok in the East. Here are the places:
- Bedok Canal (Upper Changi Road) — Tanah Merah
- Carmen Street/Lakme Terrace — Siglap
- Jalan Boon Lay — Jurong West
- Jalan Terusan — Jurong West
- Siang Kuang Ave — Potong Pasir
Lorong Halus Allegedly Flooded On 2 Jan, PUB Helped Direct Traffic In High-Water Level Areas
As Singapore saw heavy rain throughout Friday (1 Jan) and Saturday (2 Jan), some locations have become areas of concern as water levels became alarmingly high.
Lorong Halus in Loyang is one of such areas.
On Tuesday (2 Jan), a video of what seemed to be severe flooding along Lorong Halus started circulating on social media and messaging apps. You can watch the video in full here.
‘Flooded’ Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park Looks Like A Paddy Field, Was Designed To Improve Natural Biodiversity
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park Looks Flooded After Downpour Due To Intentional Design
As torrential rain fell over most parts of Singapore, most of us have had a chilly start to the new year.
Though the cooling weather served as a respite from the usual sweaty conditions, some parts of the island saw flooding as a result of the downpour. Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park was one of these locations, as the heartland recreational space resembled a paddy field due to the severe flooding.
Despite the concerning sight, this turns out to be an intentional design in the event of extreme wet weather.
Not flooding but draining at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
High water level in the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park at around 9.30am on Jan 2, 2021. PHOTO: ST READER
Photos of high water levels in the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park have caused some netizens to assume it is flooded, but the park is functioning exactly as intended - with a canal that channels rainwater downstream.
The spike in the water levels comes from torrential rain over the past few days, but this is part of the normal functioning of the park's waterway. A stream running through the park is part of the Kallang River, but is also a naturalised canal designed to accommodate "fluctuating water levels" which may rise as high as 3m.
According to information on the National Parks Board (NParks) website, there are safety features visible in the park to ensure that members of the public are aware of impending high water levels.
You shouldn't be alarmed by the 'flooding' at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park on Jan. 1, 2021
Here's how it looked on Jan. 1 afternoon
The incessant downpour on the first day of 2021 resulted in some flash floods in Singapore.
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park was one of the places flooded, with muddy rainwater alarming some members of the public.
However, unlike other areas, the flooding at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is not much of a cause for concern.
related:
