Fully prepared: Tai (right) has reminded the teams to ensure their supplies and assets are in good condition for disaster relief work.
JOHOR BARU: With close to 400 volunteers on standby, the Johor Crisis Relief Squad of MCA (CRSM) is ready to respond with manpower and basic supplies should the ongoing northeast monsoon cause floods in the state.
Johor CRSM chief Tai Chee How said the organisation has a team in each of the state’s 26 divisions.
“We have divided and coordinated the teams according to the state’s northern, central and southern zones to ensure quick mobilisation when disaster strikes.“Each team also has committees responsible for frontline assistance, disaster relief, medical requirements, emergency supplies, GoCare charity fundraising platform and publicity,” he said when interviewed.
Tai added that all the teams have been reminded to check their assets and supplies to ensure that they are in good condition to prevent hiccups during disaster relief work.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) forecasted that the monsoon surge, currently causing continuous heavy rain in the southern and eastern regions of Peninsular Malaysia, is expected to continue until early December.
MetMalaysia director-general Datuk Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip reportedly said weather forecast analysis indicates that the monsoon surge is likely to intensify today and Dec 1, potentially leading to very heavy and prolonged rainfall in eastern parts of the peninsula.
Tai added that early preparations and monitoring were carried out by Johor CRSM given the frequent downpours in the state recently.
“However, our team is not limited to disaster relief in Johor. If other states need flood assistance, we will send our volunteers there to provide support.
“Our volunteers come from various ages and have some form of disaster relief training and experience. Every one of them has also been assigned tasks respectively to move seamlessly as a team,” he added.
Tai urged more volunteers, including non-party members, to sign up with Johor CRSM so that they could stand by to assist more people.
He also reminded volunteers to keep a close watch on the water levels and familiarise themselves with the traffic routes in flood-prone areas.
“During the floods in Chaah last year, volunteers in the northern zone relied on local traffic information to navigate the roads to reach flood victims,” he added.
For more information and to sign up as a volunteer, contact Tai at 012-737 7927.
