KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 23 — Although the flood situation in Terengganu is improving, the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) is still on high alert and prepared to deal with the next wave of the disaster.
Deputy Minister of Local Government Development Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said that for the time being, the leave for all firefighters is still frozen as the northeast monsoon season has not ended.
“JBPM operations involve helping groups in dire need...that is why we prepared two helicopters, which are now at the Firefighters Academy in Wakaf Tapai, Marang, to be deployed for special rescue missions such as transporting patients and so on.
“For the community, even though you have been allowed to return home, please pay attention to preparedness measures because, based on past experience, the areas expected to be hit by floods are not the same. So, everyone must be ready,” he told reporters after a visit to flood-hit SK Pulau Rusa here today.
In the meantime, Akmal Nasrullah said approximately 1,310 JBPM officers and personnel, including those on loan from other states, have been involved in rescue operations during the major floods that hit Terengganu since Sunday (December 18).
Apart from the two helicopters, he said 40 boats and 43 land assets, including 4WDs and lorries, were used in the operations, adding that they were adequate in the event of the next wave of flooding.
Akmal Nasrullah added even though the post-flood operations have not yet started, JBPM personnel are actively carrying out clean-up work in the affected areas.
“For example, SK Pulau Rusa is blanketed in silt and mud after the floods, and if we do not start cleaning now, the mud will harden and make the cleaning work difficult,” he said.
— Bernama
