Rain caused floods around Singapore
Saturday, 2nd December 1978
A torrential downpour resulted in the heaviest rainfall for the decade. Rainfall during the 24-hour period - at 512.4 mm - was the highest ever recorded. The SAF, together with the Police, were called upon to handle one of Singapore’s biggest flood rescue and evacuation operations. Equipped with standard rescue procedures and the raw enthusiasm of our servicemen, the Ministry of Defence Operations Centre implemented the contingency plan, Operation Menolong. As most of the roads were impassable to heavy traffic, assault boats and dinghies were deployed to evacuate residents to higher ground. At Potong Pasir alone, more than 200 villagers were evacuated and housed in the Kim Keat community centre; others were housed in St. Andrew’s School. The boats were used to evacuate people from four other sub-merged areas - Kampong San Teng, Lorong Buangkok, Lorong Kudang and Lorong Chuan.
Many parts of Singapore were submerged under metre or more of water. Hundreds of stalled cars were abandon and enormous traffic jams which caused thousand of people stranded far way from their home. Flood water swept into many housing estates and turning gardens into ponds. Two boys were reported missing from Potong Pasir when rain water reached 2 metre high. One man were struck by ligthning and two other were electrocuted after touching "live" lamp-posts.