ALOR SETAR: Eight homes were badly damaged by a mini tornado that hit Kampung Padang, Mukim Tajar, near here, yesterday afternoon.
Kota Setar district civil defence force officer Captain Md Zain Baharom the agency received a report on the incident at 6.30pm and rushed to the scene to provide assistance.
“This morning, we went to the site to meet the penghulu (headman) of Mukim Tajar to discuss the assistance for the affected residents. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) no injuries has been reported so far,” he told Bernama here today.
Meanwhile, one of the affected residents, Zulkisfali Salleh, 60, said the strong wind only lasted a minute but it had ripped apart the roof of his house.
“It was a cloudy afternoon and we were relaxing while waiting for the call of Asar prayers… when suddenly there was a loud bang accompanied by strong winds and in the blink of an eye the entire roof was blown away,” he said, assessing the damages at about RM8,000.
Meanwhile, another resident Ahmad Basir Harun, 49, who was away in Kuala Kedah when the incident occurred, said he knew about it after being informed by his daughter Siti Nur Faizah, 16, who was nearly injured by fallen wood.
“I am thankful that my daughter quickly dashed out of the house, otherwise she would have been hit by broken bricks and woods after the roof was blown away. Although damage is estimated to be more than RM10,000, I am just thankful that my daughter is safe,” he said. -- BERNAMA