KLANG: Subashini Karunakaran will never forget the ordeal she and her family suffered during the major floods in Shah Alam in 2021.
Trapped for three days with minimal food and water, she and four members of her family, including her paralysed father, had to sit it out on the upper floor of their double-storey house in Taman Sri Muda. Her father has since passed away.
Subashini, 31, said every time the end of the year arrives, she and her family, who still live in the same house, get very jittery.
“But we are prepared now – when it starts raining at the end of the year, we bring a portable gas stove, water, food, tools, fully charged power banks and USB lamps, and torchlights, and place them upstairs,” said the executive who works in a private company.
She added that she also keeps a close eye on the tidal gates in her neighbourhood during any rainy spell to ensure the water does not reach the danger level.
Luckily, her neighbours also banded together and set up a WhatsApp group to look out for each other after the 2021 disaster, said Subashini.
However, it looks like Subashini and other Selangor residents who live in flood-prone areas have less to worry about as the state government has taken measures to counter any flood-related incident.
The executive councillor in charge of disaster management, Mohd Najwan Halimi, said Selangor is “proactively prepared” to manage the impact of the expected severe rainfall.
This includes initiating “decisive precautionary steps” to mitigate the risk of flooding and to avoid a repeat of the 2021 disaster.He said the measures include setting up early warning and monitoring systems, having in place comprehensive disaster preparedness and response coordination, as well as a good evacuation strategy and a community preparedness initiative.
Other moves include infrastructure and drainage improvements as well as emergency response readiness and equipment deployment.
Mohd Najwan said the state Irrigation and Drainage Department also provides real-time updates on tidal levels and spring tides, which are critical for areas prone to river and coastal flooding.
The state government has also set up district disaster operations centres across all districts that work closely with relevant federal and state agencies.
The state government has also invested in acquiring additional boats, rescue vehicles and medical supplies, while emergency personnel have undergone training sessions to enhance their skills in evacuation, rescue, and medical response, said Mohd Najwan.
