Start preparing for floods, urges Madius

PETALING JAYA: The National Disaster Management Agency is coordinating disaster preparedness and flood mitigation plans for La Nina, which is expected to occur by year-end.

Science, Technology and Inno­va­tion Minister Datuk Seri Madius Tangau said while most climate models had the same prediction on La Nina, the occurrence could only be confirmed after October.

“In Malaysia, the La Nina will usually lead to increase in rainfall over Sabah and the northern part of Sarawak, especially during the north-east monsoon period.

“As La Nina is usually associated with heavy rains, floods are therefore expected to occur especially in low-lying areas,” he told The Star.

As the Philippines and Taiwan floundered under the onslaught of Super Typhoon Nepartak, inter­national weather forecasters have predicted a possible deluge in Malaysia in the next few months.

The La Nina is likely to be here at the tail end of the strongest El Nino in 20 years, which brought scorching heat and dry days.

A report by the US National Ocea­nic Atmospheric Administra­tion Climate Prediction Centre indicates that La Nina will occur with a 75% certainty.

At the moment, Madius said Ma­­laysia was experiencing the south-west monsoon, which is expected to last until mid-September.

During this time, there would be less rain and a likelihood of haze but Madius said that isolated heavy rains and thunderstorms could still occur in the afternoons.

“A pre-dawn heavy rain with thunderstorms and strong winds caused by moving lines of thunderstorms from the sea towards the land (squall lines) can occasionally occur over the coastal areas of Selangor, Negri Sembi­lan, Malacca, western Johor, west Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.

Madius advised the public to avoid low-lying areas prone to flooding and keep updated with the latest weather information.

“MetMalaysia will continuously monitor the latest development of the La Nina, and the latest information on weather will be updated from time to time, and is available at www.met.gov.my, our hotline [phone] and the myCuaca mobile apps,” he said.