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PETALING JAYA: Disaster management agencies are preparing for the major floods that are expected to occur when the northeast monsoon season begins this month.
Flood relief efforts, they say, will look different this year to comply with standard operating procedure (SOP) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Civil Defense Force (APM) director of operations and disaster management Abdul Wahab Rahim said APM would take additional precautionary measures in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“All personnel who have been assigned to rescue boat teams will wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the rescue mission.
“The number of people in a boat will also be reduced according to the SOPs set by the government, except in emergency situations,” he said, adding that other measures such as temperature control would be taken before taking evacuees to the relief centers.
He said those with a temperature over 37.5 ° C and related symptoms would be sent to the hospital for further action.
Occupancy at an assistance center, he said, would also be reduced as portable tents would be positioned according to the distance set through the SOP.
“This time, more centers will be designated for flood relief efforts and will be equipped with the full supplies that evacuees who remain there for the duration of the flood will need.
“Since the northeast monsoon is expected to last until March next year, we have to prepare for the worst,” Abdul Wahab said, adding that the peak of the season is usually in December and January.
APM, he said, was taking a different approach this year as it would establish nine main zones across the country to coordinate logistics and labor rather than just having a centralized base in Klang Valley.
APM would also deploy more personnel for flood relief efforts compared to 10,000 last year, he added.
The director general of the Fire and Rescue Department, Datuk Seri Mohammad Hamdan Wahid, said that the department will work with the Ministry of Health in the proper way to carry out rescue efforts due to Covid-19.
“For example, when we evacuate, we have to contact the ministry or district health official to determine if the areas we are going to enter are Covid-19 red zones.
“We also have to liaise with the ministry and be prepared for cases, such as hospitals treating Covid-19 patients or an improved MCO area flooding.
“If there are victims who present symptoms and are considered patients under investigation (PUI), we will refer to the Ministry of Health about where to quarantine them since they cannot mix with other flood victims,” he said.
Fire and Rescue Department personnel would have to wear visors, masks and gloves to protect themselves from contracting the virus, he added.
“We have also prepared face masks and hand sanitizers for flood victims to use when we transfer them.”
Firefighters, especially those in the red and orange zones, must undergo health checks and controls before being deployed, ”he said.
Preparations for the floods have been underway since September, with around 12,500 people from 320 stations near hotspots waiting, Mohammad Hamdan revealed.
Other assets such as rescue boats, trucks and helicopters will also be mobilized in the flood relief efforts, and will also coordinate with other agencies such as the Department of Meteorology and the Department of Drainage and Irrigation of Malaysia (DID), which would monitor the level of the flood. Water. bodies near hot spots.
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