KEMAMAN – An elderly man had a close call when his house roof nearly collapsed on him during a hail storm in Kemaman on Wednesday.
Abdullah Zawawi Yaacob, 63, recounted that at the time of the incident, he was watching television with his wife, Wan Kharzimi Wan Abdul Manan, 57, and their three children in the living room.
"At around 4pm, heavy rain suddenly began, accompanied by the sound of strong winds. We quickly turned off the television and moved to another part of the house.
"Through the window, I saw what looked like a thick white whirlwind outside, and I was standing in the family area when it happened.
"Suddenly, I felt dust falling on my head and clothes. Alhamdulillah... luckily, my wife managed to pull me aside just in time because the plaster ceiling collapsed and almost hit me," he said.
He shared this with reporters at his residence in Kampung Gong Pauh on Thursday.
Zawawi added that during the incident, the windows of his car were also shattered by flying debris.
He described the experience as terrifying, stating that the strong winds caused many wooden beams and roofing materials to be swept away, leading to the collapse of several parts of the house.
During the storm, his son managed to recite the azan and quickly turned off the main power switch located in the living room.
"The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye... it lasted only a few minutes. But the damage was quite severe, affecting the electrical wiring system, pipes, and other parts.
"Although some areas of the house are still habitable, we don’t feel safe, so we've chosen to stay at a homestay for the next few days," he added.
Zawawi estimated the damage to be around RM50,000, which included the roof, electrical wiring, pipes, and the car windows broken by flying debris.