Huge Waves: Penang Restaurant Owners Suffer Losses Up To RM200,000

BUTTERWORTH, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- The owners of seafood restaurants along Pantai Bersih here suffered losses between RM50,000 and RM200,000 after their business premises were battered by huge waves and high tides yesterday.

They have also had to close their restaurants for an extended period as they need to carry out extensive repairs to the damaged premises.

Restaurant owner, Low Kok Seng, 59, said he had just opened his business at 11 am yesterday and around noon, he stopped customers from dining outdoors near the beach as the waves grew stronger and the sea level rose.

"The huge waves came suddenly, and luckily, at the time, all the customers were inside the restaurant. The high tide and large waves hit the section of the restaurant by the beach, and within minutes, all the tables and chairs there were swept away.

"The huge waves also washed away tonnes of sand that I had used as a base for the cement floor, causing the floor to crack and collapse. Just look at the damage — I don’t even know where to begin, and it will take time before full repairs can be carried out," he told Bernama when met at his restaurant today.

Another restaurant owner, known only as Tan, 46, said all the tables and chairs at his restaurant were also swept away by the large waves. Seawater also entered the kitchen, which is about 100 metres from the shore.

He said the restaurant's floor was damaged, and the interior was filled with debris brought in by the seawater.

“I may have suffered losses of around RM50,000 due to the huge waves. The last time such large waves hit was more than two decades ago, and this seems worse than a ‘mini tsunami’,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chiou Ah Chong, 61, who has been in business at the location for over 20 years, said the damage to his restaurant was extensive, and over RM100,000 will be needed for repairs.

He never expected such damage, as he had undertaken many upgrades to ensure the restaurant’s stability.

“We started with a stall, and each time we expanded the restaurant, I made sure the floor was reinforced with concrete because the waves constantly hit it. I’ve also made numerous upgrades to the floor and the walls facing the sea.

“I even added an extra layer of wall to prevent seawater from flowing in, but I didn’t expect the force of the waves this time to break through both layers of the wall and crack the entire floor underneath,” he said.

A check by Bernama found that large waves continued to hit the shoreline, including the restaurants along Pantai Bersih. There was also a storm at around 2.30 pm, which caused several trees to fall.

-- BERNAMA