Mustaffa Kamal (centre) speaking to a flood victim at Dewan Muafakat Kampung Cahaya Baru PPS in Masai.
Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) is strengthening its flood management strategies to ensure a more effective and organised response to future disasters, says mayor Datuk Mustaffa Kamal Shamsudin.
Referring to the recent floods in the state, Mustaffa Kamal stressed that disaster response should be an ongoing effort rather than seasonal.
“To enhance community engagement and preparedness, all public servants in Pasir Gudang with less than five years of service must now undergo disaster response training.
“A course by (youth volunteer body) Southern Volunteers in collaboration with the Malaysian Civil Defence Force, will be conducted in April to improve response capabilities.
“Trained personnel will then be deployed across different zones to provide assistance during disasters,” he said when met after chairing a MBPG full board meeting at Menara Aqabah.
Mustaffa Kamal pointed out that since floodwaters in Kampung Cahaya Baru in the Masai area receded on March 23, MBPG has been involved in cleaning homes.
However, he emphasised that flood preparedness must be improved by empowering local leaders who include councillors and village heads as well as Village Security and Development (JKKK) committee members.
“One of the major challenges faced during the floods was the lack of immediate access to temporary evacuation centres (PPS).
“Another issue was exhaustion among residents, as many had already cleaned their homes on March 20, only to be hit by another round of flooding, forcing them to evacuate again.
“In some cases, people only realised they were in danger when they felt water rising around them as they rested,” he said.
To address these challenges, MBPG is strengthening emergency response by giving local leaders the authority to take swift action during disasters without waiting for formal instructions.
It is also working to ensure that PPS facilities are immediately opened when disasters occur.
Additionally, the city council is improving coordination between government agencies to enhance response efforts.
MBPG has allocated RM306,000 for initial financial aid, with further assistance to be provided in subsequent phases.
