'Some customers started to scream': Singaporean trapped in JB restaurant for 2 hours due to flood

A work lunch was ruined for one Singaporean man and his friends when it it rained on their parade, quite literally. 

Gary Haris told AsiaOne that he was at Amma Restaurant in Johor Bahru with 10 friends on Monday (Nov 6) afternoon. 

"We just started eating and it started raining. It got heavier after about 30 minutes. After that, we saw muddy water pouring into the restaurant," the 49-year-old manager told Shin Min Daily News. 

Describing the situation in the restaurant, Haris compared it to a waterfall, and said that the water level was about half a tyre high. 

"Some customers started to scream and rush to the end of the restaurant and climb onto the chairs and the tables," Haris told AsiaOne. 

Videos of the incident seen by AsiaOne show the restaurant staff trying to sweep the water out of the restaurant as it was pouring. 

Another video show stranded diners perched atop the tables and chairs, trying to avoid the muddy water. 

The chairs in the restaurant were also stacked on top of the tables. 

"We were totally stuck as we could not go out, and our clients called saying that the roads were flooded as well, so we had to postpone the meeting to after Deepavali." 

According to the Singaporean, his group was trapped inside the premises for a total of two hours. 

He added that the cars parked outside the restaurant were also partially submerged in the water. Some passers-by were also standing in the shelter waiting for the downpour to stop. 

The group didn't get to finish their meal either, and had to adjourn to Plaza Kotaraya, a nearby shopping complex, which was also affected by the flooding. 

A video taken by Haris in the mall shows three staff sweeping away the puddles that had formed on the ground as a result of the showers. 

"It wasn't just inside the mall, there were a lot of roadside stalls whose businesses were affected by the flooding. I believe they would have suffered quite a heavy loss," said the man. 

Heavy rainfall expected in Johor

On Wednesday (Nov 8), The New Straits Times reported that the Johor Civil Defence Force (APM) is prepared for the upcoming northeast monsoon - with 1,264 officers and personnel, 72 boats and 34 vehicles ready to be deployed to provide assistance to affected residents. 

The APM has also activated their Flood Operations Room on Nov 1, and has thus far identified 874 flood hotspots. 

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said on Tuesday that the northeast monsoon is expected to start on Nov 11 and last until March next year. 

It added that the early phase of the monsoon, which will last from this month to January, has been forecasted to bring heavy rains to Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor and western Sarawak.

READ ALSO: 'Could have been drenched with dirty, smelly water': Shopper narrowly avoids leaking ceiling at Orchard Central basement

claudiatan@asiaone.com