KOTA TINGGI: About 3,000 to 5,000 officers and personnel of the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) nationwide are ready to be mobilised in the event of a second wave of floods.
APM Training Management Division director Kol (PA) Effendy Ali said operations would also be supported by Civil Defence Auxiliary (CDA) teams, whose membership currently totals around 5,000.
“The CDA are first responders, and if their own areas are unaffected, they will be deployed to assist elsewhere as needed,” he told reporters after launching the Madani Adopted Village Programme at Felda Air Tawar 1 here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Before and after: The contrast in atmosphere between the flood (above) and post-flood scenes around Taman Guru in Kuantan. — Bernama
Effendy added that logistics and equipment are sufficient and ready for deployment.
He urged the public, particularly residents in low-lying areas, to stay alert and make early preparations, including safeguarding themselves, their families and important documents.
At Felda Air Tawar 1, a total of 10 projects have been planned or implemented, including training residents as CDA members, stabilising clinic embankments and widening access roads.
The projects include upgrading cemetery infrastructure, and providing public facilities such as toilets, fire hydrants and bus and taxi stops.
APM has also conducted Disaster Risk Reduction exercises, removed 20 hazardous trees and cleared 25 homes of vulnerable residents as part of proactive emergency preparedness.
Meanwhile, the number of flood victims in Pahang and Terengganu continued to decline, with 3,146 people still at temporary evacuation centres (PPS) in both states as of yesterday afternoon.
In Pahang, flood conditions in Rompin have improved, reducing the number of affected victims to 2,575 people from 859 families housed at 33 PPS as at 4.25pm, compared with 4,873 people from 1,655 families at 41 PPS earlier yesterday morning.
Based on the Social Welfare Department’s Infobencana app, Kuantan still recorded the highest number of victims, with 1,986 people sheltered at 19 PPS.
This was followed by Pekan (430 people at six PPS), Bera (69 people at three PPS), Temerloh (35 people at two PPS), Maran (35 people at one PPS) and Jerantut (20 people at two PPS).
In Terengganu, all 571 individuals from 155 families in Kemaman were allowed to return to their respective homes.
State APM director Kol (PA) Mohd Zul Khairi Shamsuddin said all of them were previously housed at SK Bukit Mentok PPS.
He said all victims were allowed to return to their residences at 6pm yesterday following improved weather conditions.
However, Mohd Zul Khairi advised the public to remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate to a PPS if their residential areas start to be inundated by water.
