IPOH: Perak police have placed 2,401 personnel on standby to be mobilised at any time in the event of floods, says state police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri.
He said 91 vehicle assets have been readied, including four-wheel drives, vans, lorries as well as aluminium and fibreglass boats for disaster-related assignments and operations.
ALSO READ: Floods: Perak has 30 new boats at district police stations, says MB
"Simulations to handle disasters with other rescuers such as the Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence Force and Health Ministry have been held.
"Our personnel are in a state of readiness, and leave has been frozen in anticipation of the floods,” he said at his office here Tuesday (Sept 27).
The focus areas for assistance and relief aid, where frequent flooding has been recorded, are Hilir Perak, Taiping, Kerian, Tapah and Muallim.
ALSO READ: Flood mitigation plans for Ipoh
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said on Monday (Sept 26) he had ordered all police headquarters at the contingent and district levels nationwide to be ready whenever needed to tackle floods.
He said the police needed to keep in mind the devastating floods that hit the country in December, which tested the readiness of security forces to deal with disasters.
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Also on Monday, Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said 76 areas in the state had been identified by the Irrigation and Drainage Department as flood hotspots during the north-east monsoon season from mid-November to early next year.
The state government was taking proactive steps by dredging and deepening rivers and maintaining retention ponds to face this monsoon season, he noted. – Bernama
