Saturday November 7, 2009
Firefighters and Rela put on standby for landslides and floods
PETALING JAYA: Firefighters and Rela personnel are on stand-by for landslides and floods in view of the current rainy season.
Rela director-general Datuk Zaidon Asmuni said his officers had been told to be prepared to assist the police and army should any disaster strike.
“There are about 642,000 Rela members and this number is sufficient to assist in any disaster,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Quick action: Alor Star Civil Defence Department personnel preparing their boats before going out to the flooded areas Friday. Zaidon said the National Security Council had discussed the possible consequences of the rainy season.
Fire and Rescue Department corporate management and public relations division officer Supt S. Kobalakrishnan said the country’s 15,000 firefighters were ready to tackle any disaster.
He said the department would execute an integrated response plan, which would involve the police, should a severe flood or landslide were to occur.
He added that the department could mobilise 300 boats and 24 trained dogs for search and rescue efforts. “Some of the dogs have been trained to search for drowning victims by smelling the water surface.”
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department upgraded its weather alert for Kelantan and Terengganu to “red” at 4pm yesterday.
Alternative mode of transport: Children using sampan to get to the highlands near Kampung Kepah, Hulu Terengganu. The department said in a statement that intermittent and sometimes heavy rain would occur over Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah, Jeli, Bachok, Kota Baru and Pasir Puteh in Kelantan, and Machang, Kuala Krai and Besut in Terengganu.
The situation was expected to last until tomorrow.
The department also warned of intermittent and sometimes heavy rain over Perlis, Kedah, northern Perak and Pahang until tomorrow.
The affected districts included Kubang Pasu, Padang Terap, Kota Setar, Sik, Pendang and Baling in Kedah, Hulu Perak, and Kuantan, Maran, Pekan and Rompin in Pahang.
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