GEORGE TOWN: The mess left behind by yesterday's freak storm may have been cleared, but the trail of destruction is still visible for hawker Abdul Ghani Din.
The roof of his drink stall-cum-store in Jalan Tun Dr Awang, Sungai Ara, near here, was blown away in the 5pm incident, leaving him staring at the sky.
Recalling the incident, the 60-year-old who runs the drink stall with his wife Rubayah Mat, 56, since 2010, said he was sleeping with his grandchild when he was rudely awoken by a loud thud.
"As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling crashing down. I used my legs to prevent the ceiling from falling on my grandchild and me, and the ceiling broke in pieces. Suddenly a metal rod, holding the roof, fell just one foot from where we were. When I looked up the roof had been blown away.
"Almost everything here is damaged now but I am grateful that no one was injured in the incident. That is the most important thing," he told the New Straits Times when met.
Ghani estimated his losses to be below RM10,000.
"What I worry now is that I may not be able to trade for some time. I will take a week off to clear the mess first before deciding to open my drink store again. Maybe, I will put up a tent or something," he added.
Yesterday afternoon, various parts on the island and mainland were hit by a freak storm with strong winds ripping off roofs and uprooting trees.
According to the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the strong winds yesterday was a result of cumulonimbus cloud, which brought with it a small-scale thunder storm.
It said the situation would last for the whole week and that METMalaysia would monitor the situation and update the weather forecast from time to time.
Meanwhile, state Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said the winds recorded during the storm moved at 68kph.
"A total of 25 locations statewide reported incidents of uprooted trees and two locations where the roof structures were blown away.
"The teams from the local authorities have started moving the uprooted trees and cleaning works resumed today," he said.