Government all out to face floods — Shahidan

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Shahidan (centre) witnessing the handing over of Sealegs Amphibious rescue boats  by the deputy director (management) of Nadma, Datuk Muhammad Yusoff Wazir (third left), to MCDF deputy commissioner (management) Sukiman Ahmad. — Bernama photo

Shahidan (centre) witnessing the handing over of Sealegs Amphibious rescue boats by the deputy director (management) of Nadma, Datuk Muhammad Yusoff Wazir (third left), to MCDF deputy commissioner (management) Sukiman Ahmad. — Bernama photo

PUTRAJAYA: The government will still go all out in  preparing to face the floods even if small scale floodings are expected to occur, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim.

He said the experience in facing the floods in 2014 had taught the  government and relevant authorities, particularly the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (MCDF) to be better prepared as the severity of disaster could be  unpredictable.

“Although the Malaysian Meteorological Department foresees there will not be a major flood this time, after what we had gone through we are prepared for the worst,” he said in commenting on the government’s preparation for the floods with the monsoon season approaching next month.

He was speaking at a press conference after witnessing the handover of six Sealegs Amphibious rescue boats to MCDF from the National Disaster Agency (Nadma) here yesterday.

As secretariat of the national-level Disaster Management and Assistance Centre Committee (JPBBP), he said MCDF had conducted preparedness exercises involving other security agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure all parties were ready should a disaster strike.

Shahidan said MCDF had also conducted aid and evacuation simulation in states expected to be hit by floods such as in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

He said in managing the flood situation, a new approach of evacuating prior to flooding would be adopted, as practised in several developed countries like in Japan.

“We will implement this new approach and will not tolerate residents who refuse to evacuate as the move is for their own safety,” he said.

He said 382 boats, 96 lorries and 141 four-wheel drive vehicles were on standby and 11,800 personnel were ready to be despatched within the first three  hours of disaster.

On the Sealegs Amphibious boats, Shahidan said the rescue boats would ensure more efficient service for the people especially during the floods as the boats could be deployed either on land or water.

Two of the boats would be for Kelantan, one each for Sabah and Sarawak, while the other two would be stationed at MCDF headquarters for any emergency, he said. — Bernama