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Flash flood doesn't discourage patrons from Bawah Kolong restaurant

KLUANG: Patrons continued to converge on the Bawah Kolong Restaurant at Jalan Cempaka Kampung Melayu here despite ankle-deep floodwater.

Proprietor Sulastri Kasiman, 40, said this was the fifth time that his eatery experienced a flash flood. The last time his eatery was inundated was last year, when floodwater rose knee-deep in the low-lying area.

"The water started rising at 8am after hours of continuous rain. We were halfway through cooking more than 20 dishes and had to open the shop as usual.

"At first, we were worried we could not sell our food, but we kept faith in Allah, and Alhamdulillah more and more people arrived and now there are some 50 people in the shop.

"We were caught unawares, as this was the first time the restaurant is flooded in the morning. Flash floods here usually take place in the evening, when the shop is closed," said Sulastri, who has been running his eatery for 17 years.

One of the patrons, Maizura Jannadi, 29, from Johor Baru was quite excited to have her meal in the flooded atmosphere.

"I work as a shop assistant, and this is the first time I came to this restaurant to eat. I didn't think the restaurant would be flooded when I made my way here.

"When I arrived, I saw that the restaurant was still open, and my friend and I decided to haved our meal anyway at the restaurant. We wanted to help the owner so that his food is sold out," she said.

Kuala Lumpur-based lawyer, Zahari Affendi Abdul Kadir, 42, said he was excited to dine at the popular restaurant for the first time despite the flood.

"I am in town with my two sons, aged 13 and 11, for work.

"While browsing Instagram, I came across a post about the shop's predicament due to the floods and decided to drop by.

"Alhamdulillah, even though some people were worried about animals (escaping floods) while wading through the floodwater, in my opinion, we have to be 'sporting'. The food here is really good," he said.

Kluang Disaster Management Committee chairman and district officer Jamaludin A. Hamid said two shelters had been opened at SJKC Ping Ming and SMK Seri Perdana.

"The shelter at SJKC Ping Ming opened at 11am to house 18 people — three men, seven women, two boys including a baby, three girls including a baby and two persons with disability — from six families from around Yap Tau Sah.

"The SMK Seri Perdana shelter was activated at the same time, housing eight people — one man, five women and two girls — from three families from Kampung Palembang," he said.

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