New Straits Times 8 Oct 14;
KUANTAN: Despite the Meteorological Department’s forecast of a lower total rainfall this year, relevant agencies and those living in flood-prone areas are nevertheless gearing up for the monsoon season next month.
Among those who had made early preparations were the people of Sungai Isap, which was badly affected by floods during last year’s monsoon season.
Shop assistant Mohd Azwan Mohamed Rosli, 25, said his employer had already instructed him to relocate the machineries and raw materials to a safer place before the rainy season began.
“Most of the items were on the first floor. We can’t wait until the eleventh hour as floods can happen overnight just like last year.”
During the floods in December, he said many of the machineries and materials were submerged, with losses of up to thousands of ringgit.
Mastura Ali, 50, said she had relocated some important items to her attic, which had been modified into a storage area.
“Hopefully the floodwaters will not reach the attic or else all my belongings would be damaged,” said Mastura.
She added that the victims of the December floods had received various forms of assistance, including new furniture, dry goods and cooking utensils.
Sekolah Agama Rakyat Alif principal Rosli Ahmad, 50, said apart from the help provided by government agencies, his school also received assistance from various non-governmental organisations and Universiti Malaysia Pahang.
Meanwhile, the state government had begun sending food and essential items to 80 forward bases — an increase from last year’s 73 — in Pahang from Oct 1, as preparation for the monsoon season which is expected to begin on Nov 15.
State Natural Disaster Relief Committee chairman Datuk Seri Muhammad Safian Ismail said the Welfare Department had allocated RM1 million to provide food products and essential items.
Built at strategic locations, forward bases store food and essential items that can be easily distributed to relief centres when they are cut off from the main roads by floods.
Safian said the committee had also identified a centralised relief centre at Indera Mahkota here to replace the existing ones in Sungai Isap and Bukit Rangin, which were hit by floods last year.
He said the evacuation team — comprising personnel from the Armed Forces, police and other agencies — would help relocate the flood victims in Sungai Isap and Bukit Rangin to the new relief centre if their homes were affected.
State Meteorological Department director Azemi Daud said although the total rainfall was expected to be lower this year, the committee should make early preparation as an accurate weather forecast could only be made between 48 and 72 hours before the actual date.
