What a wind it was last evening. I was at the petrol station in Menglait at around seven, waiting for my turn. The weather was calm and slightly cool for that time of the day. All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind came towards the station, bringing along a heavy downpour.
It caught everyone by surprise. I saw the petrol attendants running inside their office. Initially I thought they were taking cover but they came out in a few moments with bright, yellow raincoats, ready to serve.
The Met Section said the speed of the wind last night was at 38 knots or at 76 kilometer per hour. Media reports said that hotlines for the emergency services were inundated with calls, so many that they were concern of genuine ones who could not reach them. I also read that the town Miri in next door Sarawak was also affected by the strong wind at around 10 last night. This mean that the wind was travelling west.
It was a bit scary though brief. A sign of global warming and Brunei is not spared as well. I wonder if the relevant authority could alert residents BEFORE such things occur, so we could be well-prepared and take appropriate measures – like staying indoor.
This is the prayer in the event of strong wind in Malay as taken from the Ministry of Religious Affairs website:
Ya Allah, sesungguhnya kami memohon kepada-Mu kebaikan angin ini, kebaikan yang terkandung di dalamnya, dan kebaikan yang diperintahkan kepada angin. Kami berlindung kepada-Mu dari kejahatan angin, kejahatan yang terkandung di dalamnya, dan kejahatan yang diperintahkan kepada angin.
