Residents recount experiences in hailstorm aftermath

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RESIDENTS of Subang Jaya were shocked when hailstones hit several parts in USJ causing damage to houses and cars.

A resident of USJ 9, Mahaletchumi Paramjothy, said she woke up from her afternoon nap during the hailstorm.

“Looking out the window I could see small hailstones falling,” she said, adding that she could recognise hailstones as she had seen the phenomenon when she was studying overseas.

Tipping hazardously: A guard house was damaged after heavy storm at USJ 9.

“The wind was so strong that several tiles and the solar turbine installed on my roof were ripped off and flew into a neighbour’s house.

“Now part of my room is leaking,” she said.

Another resident, Jenny Tai, 46, who was working at home during the storm.

“I was shocked as the lightning looked as if it was going to strike the house. My husband quickly closed all the windows. Fortunately, our cars were parked in the house compound,” she added.

Tai said her fax machine and computer were damaged during the lightning strike.

USJ 13 resident Mohd Muhamin Mohd Hatim, 21, said he was sleeping in his room when the hailstorm occurred.

“My sister woke me up when she heard the thunder. When we went to check, we could see that there was a hailstorm,” he said.

“The wind was so strong that the trees were swaying wildly,” he said, adding some neighbours scrambled to move their vehicles that were parked under trees.

Muhamin said the playground and facilities on a field near his house was damaged as several trees were uprooted.

“No one dared to park under the trees after the storm. The field which is usually surrounded by parked cars was empty during the night,” said Muhamin.

Working together : Mohd Abdillah Ahmad clearing trees after the storm in USJ 13.

Anggsana Apartment Residents Association chairman Azmy Awang said there were more than 15 reported cases of uprooted trees in USJ 1.

“We are still going from door-to-door to check with the residents on the damage caused by the storm. Several cars were damaged and residents said their houses have starting leaking,” he said.

The last hailstorm reported in Selangor was in Puchong in 2009 where it lasted only for a few minutes.