NILAI, Oct 24 — The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) is ready to mobilise over 13,000 personnel within 24 hours nationwide to deal with flooding of the northeast monsoon (MTL), predicted to occur from mid-November to March next year.
APM Training Management Division director, Col (PA) Fazlisyah Muslim, said the numbers will be increased as necessary, apart from the involvement of trained volunteers, including the APM Civil Defence Auxiliary (CDA) team.
“We have made better preparations than the previous year, including coordination between the government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, and the community. We also have 8,000 CDA members who will assist APM in facing the disaster.
“We have information on over 5,000 flood hot spots nationwide; the public is exposed to a lot of information, so hopefully, they are more aware and ready to face any eventuality,” he said.
Fazlisyah was speaking to the press after attending the Coca-Cola Bottlers Malaysia’s (CCBM) donation for the national disaster event today.
He said several agencies have also carried out charity training and engaged with the community to carry out more thorough preparations to deal with the MTL, focusing on the whole country, following floods which may occur in unexpected areas.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) advised the public to remain vigilant for weather changes, as it forecasts four to six incidents of heavy rainfall from next month until February 2024, potentially resulting in flooding in areas at risk.
— Bernama
