Johor ready to face floods

The Star 4 Nov 11;

JOHOR BARU: Johor has learned bitter lessons from the disastrous floods of 2006 and 2007 and believes it is better prepared now if the big floods return this year.

The state government has asked all relevant authorities to stand by and has also earmarked food distribution centres, which have been stocked with foodstuff and other essential items.

“We also have enough volunteers, fire engines, boats and relief centres to accommodate flood victims,” Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said yesterday after officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony of a low-cost housing project at Taman Bukit Tiram here yesterday.

“I believe the preparations by the state government are enough to face the floods,” Abdul Ghani said.

In 2006, Johor Baru and Segamat became the worst-hit districts when flood waters rose with surprising speed state-wide and claimed 12 lives.

Close to 100,000 people from about 25,000 families were evacuated from their homes.

In BALING, Kedah, Putera 1Malaysia Club said it had signed up 1,000 volunteers, including doctors, nurses and paramedics to help flood victims in the country should disaster strike.

Club president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said the focus would be on states that were usually the worst hit Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu and Johor.

“The medical volunteers will be assigned to mobile clinics and relief centres,” he said here yesterday.

Abdul Azeez said the club had also started preparing foodstuff and essential items to be distributed to flood victims.

They included blankets, mattresses, personal care products and diapers.

Farmers fear monsoon
New Straits Times 4 Nov 11;

KUALA TERENGGANU: The 64 participants of a collective farm project in Batu Rakit here are worried that the upcoming monsoon season can threaten their livelihood, again.

They suffered losses totalling RM471,000 when the 46-hectare collective farm planted with watermelons was inundated for about three weeks during the last round of floods in March.

They are worried that their current crop of chillies, sweet corn and brinjals will also face the same predicament this time around.

Kampung Pecah Rotan collective farm project head Mohd Amin Abdul Razak, 50, said the crops were planted after the watermelon project ended in September and will only be ready for harvesting in January.

"If the floods hit in January, we can perhaps harvest them early to lessen our losses. However, there is nothing we can do if they arrive earlier."

He said the floods' effects could be mitigated if the drainage system around the farm was upgraded.

"The farm is on lower ground compared with the surrounding areas and without sufficient drainage, it will turn into a large lake as flood waters tend to collect there easily."