PUTRAJAYA: The Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) is stepping up monitoring of flood "hotspot" areas in the affected states including the Klang Valley to ensure a quick response is mobilised in those areas.
Its director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said instructions have been issued to each state fire department to ensure the readiness of machinery and personnel is at the highest level.
"We have issued instructions to all states, especially those affected by floods, namely Kedah, Perak and Perlis as well as Selangor (and Kuala Lumpur) to monitor low-lying coastal areas.
"(This) is to enable us to respond quickly to flood incidents," he said to the media after the handing over of the official Proton vehicle to JBPM in conjunction with the International Fire Conference and Exhibition Malaysia 2024 (IFCEM) here on Tuesday (Oct 15).
Citing the floods that hit the Klang Valley today, he said JBPM had mobilised personnel and machinery at certain locations for monitoring and rescue work following initial information from the Meteorological Department.
"We have mobilised the team before receiving the (flood) call but there are also locations that have escaped our radar.
"It means that we did not expect the water to rise especially in the Universiti Malaya," he said, adding that the flooding in the Klang Valley is under control and no evacuations have been carried out.
He hoped that the weather conditions would improve even though the country is expected to face the phenomenon of high tide starting tomorrow.
"We hope the weather will improve because the 'king tide' series starts tomorrow and Oct 18 will be the 'peak'. So, we hope there will be no heavy rains that will cause flooding," he said.
Regarding the landslide incident in Taman Melawati, Selangor today, Nor Hisham said JBPM will hold further discussions with relevant authorities regarding the incident.
"We will sit down with the relevant technical parties including the Department of Minerals and Geology (JMG), the Department of Public Works (JKR) and local authorities to see the situation of the slope.
"We will see the situation in the stabilisation stage. When they (JMG and JKR) have received the final assessment... it will be decided what the next action will be for the residents," he said.
The police today ordered the residents of 20 houses in Taman Melawati, Ampang in Selangor to evacuate their homes following a landslide in the nearby area, due to heavy rain this morning.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi previously asked the public to be alert and ready to face the possibility of flooding following the North East Monsoon (MTL) expected earlier, which is the fourth week of this month.
Ahmad Zahid said MTL usually occurs in early November but this year it is expected to be earlier due to changing weather. - Bernama
