Bernama file photo
KUCHING (Nov 21): The State Welfare Department is fully prepared to face the flood season, with necessary Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place, said Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
There are 548 volunteers who have registered, RM195,000 of dried food at forward base and RM400,000 of necessities for flood victims at the State depo at Jalan Datuk Mohd Musa in Samarahan, she said.
“Now we are in the monsoon season, and as part of the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), we are prepared to help flood victims in terms of food and relocating them to evacuation centres,” she told a press conference after the presentation of grants to non-government organisations (NGOs) at Sri Satok Community-Based Rehabilitation Centre (PDK) today.
The items at the depo are mattresses, pillows, blankets, towels, baby diapers, traditional body coverings (kain sarung and kain pelikat), she said.
On the SOPs, she said the evacuees will have to adhere to physical distancing, practise good personal hygiene and the evacuation centres will be sanitised.
“The SDMC has decided that no cooking is allowed at the evacuation centres. However, they will be provided with packed cooked food. They will also be given dried food and other essentials.”
She added that previously, cooking is allowed at evacuation centres and cooking utensils are provided, but due to the current pandemic, it is not allowed.
For those who are not relocated to evacuation centres, there are 13 forward bases throughout the state who will distribute food supplies.
“We have identified dried food suppliers and also caterers who will provided the cooked food to the evacuation centres.”
Speaking on the volunteers, she said that they are ready to help out at any time, not just during floods, they also help old folks who live alone, helping the disabled to buy necessities and clean their homes and many others.