KUCHING: Being prepared to face any disaster should become a culture among the people, especially as the country enters the Northeast Monsoon season, which typically starts in mid-November and lasts until March.
Sarawak’s Federal Secretary Datuk Ahmad Nadzri said this is crucial so that all levels of the community will remain resilient and take responsibility for saving lives and property during disasters.
“Heavy rainfall is expected, especially in the east coast states of Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sarawak.
“This continuous heavy rain situation will directly affect the lives of the community, such as the threat of floods, landslides, fallen trees, road closures, and various other possibilities that can occur during this season,” he said.
He made these remarks at the launch of the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (JPBM) Preparedness for the Northeast Monsoon here Wednesday.
Ahmad Nadzri said, at the government agency level, asset readiness and human capital should be focused on to face this season.
However, he said preparedness is not solely the responsibility of the JPBM but also encompasses collective cooperation among other government agencies.
“Therefore, preparedness needs to be instilled as a culture in a community so that they also play a role when a disaster occurs,” he said.
In the meantime, JPBM Sarawak has prepared 48 marine utilities, 87 four-wheel-drive vehicles, 16 lorries, and a helicopter to further strengthen their preparations for the season.
JPBM Sarawak Director, Datuk Khirudin Drahman, is continuing to empower more community participation in disaster preparedness courses through the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training and Launch Programme.
He said that through community involvement, especially longhouse chiefs in the programme, disasters like floods can be better handled when the community has been trained, thereby facilitating coordination of rescue work.
Also present was Deputy Director of the Sarawak JPBM, Tiong Ling Hii.
