today Friday June 18, 2010

NEWS
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orchard Parade hotel

delfi orchard orchard towers

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ANAtomy of A flood

Palais renaissance

1 a downpour at 9.30am pushed

debris down Stamford Canal. the canal.

hilton Singapore Far east Shopping Centre liat towers Wheelock Place

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Singapore marriott hotel lucky Plaza Wisma atria tong building orchard mrt Station

Shaw house

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2 the debris choked a drain along

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3 Water from a second downpour

top: the Stamford Canal, which runs under the orchard Parade hotel. above: a car being towed away from the tong building car park.
PhotoS don Wong, Wee teCk hian

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Clogged canal caused floods: PUB

>> Continued From Page 1 Mr Mohamed Sihabudeen was perplexed about the drainage system outside the shopping centre as he saw the rainwater cascading into his basement shop. He said: It feels like a disaster and it didnt even rain for a day but just three to four hours. Mr Mohamed was among a group of retailers who estimated losses of at least $8,000 he had only set up shop early this month and failed to get insurance. When asked yesterday if retailers could approach the national water agency for compensation, PUBs Mr Yap said the authorities immediate priority is to help affected retailers get back on their feet. PUB will also install additional sensors along the Stamford Canal to monitor unusual spikes or dips in water levels and could trigger SMS alerts to alert those in the Orchard area about an impending flood, Mr Yap said. But he added: We have to be realistic ... if you design (drains) for the most extreme storms, we will be probably having a lot of drains, very wide, waiting for the rain to come.
a worker installing a new carpet as business was back to normal in a store in lucky Plaza. don Wong

Insurers brace for hefty claims

Julie Quek
juliequek@mediacorp.com.sg

Pa ter

at 10.30am flowed into Stamford Canal. as one drain was choked, the downpour flowed into the drain, causing it to flood orchard road.

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SINGAPORE The insurance industry is bracing for hefty claims amounting to millions of dollars from businesses affected by Wednesdays flash flood. Industry experts said that, based on early estimates, claims could exceed $6 million. The General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) expects the highest claim to come from retail outlets that use high-technology equipment and are located at floodprone areas, especially at basement levels. We can expect to see higher premiums in terms of fire policy for these retailers, said GIA president Derek Teo. This is the second time in seven months that insurance companies have had to deal with claims resulting from works of nature. In November last year, heavy rains caused knee-high floods in the Bukit Timah area. Experts said the highest claim this time could come from outdoor cafes at Liat Towers, because their equipment could be irreparable. American restaurant Wendys yesterday said in a statement that damage to equipment and physical infrastructure amounted to more than $500,000. Wendys said it will be temporarily closed for four to six weeks. NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative said it had received six claim cases from motorists. The individual amounts of the claims filed will depend on the extent of the damage and the age of the vehicles.

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Forum the Shopping mall

international building

If a vehicle is damaged beyond repair and is covered under its comprehensive insurance policy, NTUC Income will pay the market value of the car, said Mr Pui Phusangmook, its senior vice-president and general manager for general insurance. Lawyers contacted by MediaCorp said owners of flood-damaged vehicles could consider claiming under occupiers liability and seek damages from building owners. But, they would have to prove that the building owners were negligent in maintaining the underground car park. Action would be possible only if flooding results from poor drainage system within the building, said Mr Thangaveloo Suppiah. But, Mr Edmond Pereira said most buildings have a disclaimer which says car owners park at their own risk. Wednesdays flood can be considered an act of God, something that is generally not covered in the insurance policies of car owners unless specifically covered for, said Mr Thangaveloo. NTUC Income said for protection against floods and fire incidents, a comprehensive fire policy that includes protection against acts of God would be sufficient. But, some policies have a deductible clause if the cost of damage is less than a certain amount agreed on between the insurer and customer, the latter would need to fork out the cost. additional
rePorting by ZulkiFli othman