NILAI: The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) is ready to mobilise more than 13,000 personnel within 24 hours, nationwide, to deal with flooding following the Northeast Monsoon (MTL), which is predicted to occur from mid-November to March next year.
APM Training Management Division director, Col (PA) Fazlisyah Muslim, said that the number will be increased according to needs, 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 more than 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 told reporters, after attending the Coca-Cola Bottlers Malaysia (CCBM)’s donation for the national disaster event, here today.
He said that several agencies have also carried out charity training, and engaged with the community to carry out more thorough preparations to deal with the MTL, with a focus on the whole country, following floods which may occur in unexpected areas now.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) yesterday advised the public to always be vigilant for weather changes, as it forecasts four to six incidents of heavy rainfall from next month until February 2024, which could potentially result in flooding in areas at risk. – Bernama
