SMK Munshi Abdullah’s roofs badly damaged in storm
NOR FARHANA YAACOB
MELAKA - Almost all the roofs of the buildings at SMK Munshi Abdullah in Batu Berendam here suffered severe damage due to a storm and heavy rain on Saturday.
It is understood that the incident occurred at around 2:30 pm in the afternoon, just after the school, which is more than 30 years old was used for the i-Musleh Primary School sports event.
School principal, Ramli Abdullah said he rushed to the school from Seremban after being informed about the incident, and fortunately, there were no reported casualties.
He added that fifth-year students were supposed to use one of the buildings to take their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) trial exams this year.
However, he said the school would wait for reports and assessments from relevant authorities, including the Melaka Public Works Department (JKR), to determine whether the building is safe.
"We will also discuss with the State Education Department because almost all the of school building blocks have suffered severe damage.
"This area is known for strong winds, and incidents of roofs being blown off have occurred before, but this is the worst incident," he said when met at SMK Munshi Abdullah in Batu Berendam on Saturday.
Also present were the Education, Higher Education, and Religious Affairs Exco, Datuk Rahmad Mariman; Senior Exco for Housing, Local Government, Drainage, Climate Change, and Disaster Management, Datuk Rais Yasin, and Ayer Keroh State Assemblyman, Kerk Chee Yee.
Rahmad said that the building that suffered the most damage was Block C, which houses the administrative offices and classes for Form Three and Form Four students.
He explained that the bad weather had caused most of the roof structures to be torn off and blown away by the wind.
"I understand that the electrical system is also damaged, so the block in question is completely closed until repairs are carried out.
"The Melaka Education Department has also requested immediate disaster assistance from the Ministry of Education to repair the damage that has occurred," he said.
