Gearing up: Fire and Rescue Department personnel making preparations at the Port Klang Fire and Rescue Station. — Bernama
KLANG: A total of 15,620 personnel with 983 land and marine assets have been mobilised by the Fire and Rescue Department in preparation for the north-east monsoon from mid-November to March next year.
Its director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said the department had identified 3,683 flood-prone locations nationwide.
The east coast states recorded the highest number of flood hotspots, with Pahang having 760 locations, followed by Kelantan (618) and Terengganu (460).
Other areas include Sabah (517 hotspots), Johor (343), Perak (280) and Negri Sembilan (123).
Nor Hisham was speaking to reporters after visiting the Port Klang Fire and Rescue Station for the Flood Operations Logistics Testing and Inspection Day yesterday.
Also present was the department’s Selangor director, Wan Md Razali Wan Ismail, Bernama reported.
Nor Hisham also said special attention would be given to densely populated urban areas, where there are unique challenges.
“Due to high population density and uniform housing layouts, floodwaters in urban areas rise quickly and can fill residential zones faster, making rescue operations more difficult.
“Urban floods also cause traffic congestion. While residents try to leave affected areas, rescue teams must enter them, creating opposing movements that complicate operations,” he added.
He said the weather forecast indicates the upcoming monsoon season would be within normal levels for most parts of the country, although certain areas in Sabah are expected to experience above-average rainfall.
At present, the department has not imposed a leave freeze on its personnel, but the number of staff allowed on leave at any given time is limited to 20%, he added.
Meanwhile, in Perak and Kedah, 453 flood victims from 114 families remain sheltered at temporary relief centres as of yesterday morning.
In Perak, the state disaster management committee secretariat reported that 124 people from 33 families in Kampung Padang Serai are being housed at Sekolah Agama Rakyat Padang Serai.
It was reported that floodwaters in the affected areas have yet to fully subside, as excess water from Sungai Rotan in Taiping to Manjung remains above normal levels.
Water level is expected to recede completely within a week.
In Kedah, 329 people from 81 families are still taking shelter at Dewan Kompleks Rakan Sukan Tanah Merah, SK Ayer Puteh and SK Tunku Intan Shafinaz in the Pendang district.
The victims are residents from 32 villages in Rambai, Ayer Puteh, Padang Pusing, Padang Peliang, Padang Kerbau, Guar Kepayang and Tobiar sub-districts.
