The Star 27 Oct 15;
JOHOR BARU: The public, especially in flood-prone areas, have been advised to be alert during the monsoon season.
Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayob Rahmat said the monsoon would bring heavy rain and thunderstorms.
“I urge the people to be prepared and ready to be evacuated.
“I also urge them to follow the directions of the rescuers,” he said.
He said the state has been through several major floods in the past and the people must be ready.
Flood contingency measures were already in place in all districts, he added.
Meanwhile in Ipoh, the Perak Fire and Rescue Department said it was prepared for any disaster.
Department director Yahaya Madis said its officers are well trained and sufficiently equipped.
“If a situation calls for more equipment, we have formed partnerships with neighbouring states like Penang, Kedah and Selangor,” he said.
He said the department was keeping an eye on the Hulu Perak, Larut, Matang, Selama, Perak Tengah, Kinta and Hilir Perak districts now that the monsoon season is here.
Be prepared for monsoon, village heads urged
The Star 26 Oct 15;
KUALA TERENGGANU: All village heads must be prepared for possible disasters brought by the monsoon season, said the Terengganu Civil Defence Department (JPAM).
Its director Lt-Kol Che Adam A. Rahman said the chiefs must have up-to-date and thorough information on their villages and villagers.
This would help avoid any miscommunication and improve efficiency should a disaster happen, particularly during flood relief operations, he said.
“During the massive floods last year, there was no up-to-date information which made rescue work difficult for our team,” said Che Adam.
He said village heads and community representatives had an important role in ensuring that such information was made available to rescue agencies during disasters.
“We urge them to be ready and not wait till the last minute,” he said.
Among the information that would be needed is, for example, how many pregnant women, elderly and disabled people are there in the village, he said.
Che Adam also said that villagers were sometimes reluctant to follow the orders of rescue teams, or were slow to react.
He said they must evacuate their homes immediately if ordered to.
“They must not delay because water levels can rise very fast and put lives at risk,” he said.
He also advised people to prepare a “ready to go” bag filled with their important documents, diapers and milk formula if there are infants, and any vital medication.
Detailed flood risk map being drawn up
The Star 27 Oct 15;
PETALING JAYA: A comprehensive map detailing every flood-prone district and housing area in the country is being drawn up.
The map will be able to identify not only areas prone to floods but also provide detailed information on the type of human activities that take place there, as well as the number of people and homes.
“The country needs a flood risk map,” said Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Prof Datuk Dr Ibrahim Komoo, who proposed it.
“Right now, the Drainage and Irrigation Department has a flood map but not a flood risk map,” he said.
He is a member of a special task force looking at scientific and technological responses to large floods and other natural disasters in the country.
Dr Ibrahim said the task force, along with the newly set up National Disaster Management Agency, were under the Prime Minister’s Department.
Dr Ibrahim, chairman of the South-East Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative at UKM, said the task force was a forensic study group formed several months ago.
“Many are unaware that Malaysia is categorised as a country that has low to mid-level risk when it comes to natural disasters.
“This why it is crucial to formulate policies by taking into account the level of natural disaster risks the country is facing,” he said.
New equipment needed for disaster relief
The Star 27 Oct 15;
KUALA LUMPUR: High-powered boats and all-weather helicopters will be among the new equipment used in future disaster relief operations.
The newly-formed Natural Disaster Management Agency’s deputy chairman Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the equipment was needed to better manage evacuation of victims.
“The acquisition of the helicopters is separate from the RM170mil allocated to the agency.
“These must be able to ferry 20 passengers and remain airborne for between five and six hours at a stretch,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
At present, helicopters used for such operations come from various departments and agencies, including the private sector, he said.
The agency, headed by the Prime Minister, was formed on Oct 1 to integrate rescue and relief operations by all relevant agencies such as police, fire and rescue, Rela, the army and civil defence.
“Emphasis will be on local involvement in the operations, by forming committees at community level,” he said.
For example, the previous practice of having food storage at district level would be scrapped, he added.
“Instead, food stores will be set up by communities in their respective areas to ensure victims get aid as quickly as possible,” he said.
He noted that the agency would also have specific divisions, such as those comprising doctors and engineers.
Pre-flood warning notices would also be issued and these alerts would include dos and don’ts in the event of flooding, as well as contact numbers of rescue personnel, he said.
In the Dewan Rakyat earlier, Shahidan told lawmakers the agency’s standard operating procedure would be announced this week.
“We now have a specific agency to manage disaster relief operations that covers land, sea and rivers,” he said.
Govt ready to relocate livestock and resources from flood-prone areas
ALLISON LAI The Star 28 Oct 15;
KLANG: The Government is prepared to help farmers to relocate livestock, moveable agricultural produce, machinery and other resources to secure centres if the monsoon floods were to hit farms in the country.
Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said assets such as machinery in every district would be identified and relocated to a suitable relocation centre to avoid any damage by the floods.
“Same goes to all movable agricultural produce like livestock.”
“This is necessary to reduce the losses and it will help our farmers to resume operation fast once the situation permits, he said.
He said that a set of standard operating procedures for flood management has been developed to help farmers avoid another major loss following last year’s floods.
Ahmad Shabery said that the ministry’s officers, their families and movable assets would be taken care of before the start of the monsoon season.
“This is to ensure that our officials will be able to concentrate fully on helping the agriculture community in need after learning from last year’s incident.”
In 2014, the floods affected 1,560 officers and it crippled operations in flood-hit states, he added.
Besides accommodating food supply to the affected areas, he said that the government would also focus on recovery measures for the entire industry.
“We will provide incentives to the affected farmers from our dedicated fund, as well as provide consideration for loan rescheduling should the need arise,” he said.
Ahmad Shabery also noted that the government has a ready stockpile during the impending year-end monsoon season.
“If necessary, more food will be imported to meet demand,” he said.
Last year, Malaysia was struck by the largest floods in the nation’s history and the agriculture sector was amongst the most affected.
Among the worst-affected flood hit states last year were Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Perlis.
Based on the ministry’s record, Shabery said that the total agriculture damage was RM297.83mil, with RM106.8mil loss from damaged assets and infrastructure and RM152.97mil in damaged agriculture produce.
