A large portion of the house’s zinc roof was torn off during the strong winds.
SIBU: A brief thunderstorm on Friday evening blew off part of the zinc roof of a house at Lane 19 in Permai Timur.
The owner, who only wanted to be known as Tiong, said his house was worst hit with the strong winds compared to other houses as in previous cases.
“This is our first such experience since I bought the house 12 years ago,” he said yesterday.
He said the zinc roofing was torn off entirely from his house.
The zinc sheets were blown onto a compound nearby with parts landing on the roadside in the stormy episode on Friday.
No one was hurt in the incident but some zinc roofing also got entangled on the overhead cables in front of the house, causing a short-circuit.
Tiong said his house, a neighbouring house and a restaurant across the road were then hit by a blackout.
Tiong telephoned power company Sesco at 6.30pm but its contractor only arrived at 9pm, whereby electricity was restored by 11pm.
Tiong said none of his family was at home during the storm. He had rushed home when he was informed by a neighbour across the road.
The owner said strong winds whipped up at around 5.30pm, followed by a thunderstorm and heavy rain for about half an hour.
His neighbour also said he noticed that the storm resembled “a minor typhoon”.
Tiong said he would cover the damaged roof with canvas before proceeding with insurance claims.
A notice board at the roadside near Tiong’s house was also wrecked.
Remnants of the zinc roof entangled in the overhead cables in front of Tiong’s house, which caused a short-circuit.
A roadside notice board near Tiong’s house was damaged.