Youth Chief calls for revamp in disaster management

“We don’t have to wait for VIPS to arrive before aid can be distributed to affected people.”

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC Youth Chief C. Sivarraajh, has expressed surprise that the authorities concerned don’t have disaster management strategies in place to cope with the current floods, for example, and are struggling with SOPs (standard operating procedures) introduced in the 50s.

“We don’t have to wait for VIPS to arrive before aid can be distributed to affected people.”

“Rescuers don’t have to struggle against swift currents and floating debris to bring such supplies to flood victims, especially in interior regions, if disaster management centres can been set up with such items.”

“Food with long shelf-life and bottled water should be stock up and preferably such food should be locally bought and not shipped from outside like now. Such food as rice, sugar, sardines, noodles and dried fish must be stocked up in advance.”

Sivarraajh called for a re-think.

“Our disaster management strategies are outdated,” he said in a statement “These strategies were devised in the 1950s and have served us well but times have radically changed and we need new strategies to cope with disaster management.”

For instance, he pointed out, flooding happens very frequently and in greater severity because of environmental degradation and increased human activity on forest and river systems and the lack of a good drainage system.

“In areas where frequent flooding happens it makes sense to set up permanent disaster centres and stock it with essentials like torch lights, sleeping bags, power banks, dry food and bottle water,” he said.

“These centres should be on high ground and the local village chief or local authorities should be given the keys and the authority to open the centres and distribute the stocks when needed.”

A simple siren system should be employed, he added, to quickly spread the word to move to higher ground. “Inexpensive power banks can give up to 10 hours of battery for hand phones. These are essential items.”

”Sleeping bags and power banks are essential items, not sardine cans, Maggie Mee and cooking gas although these items come in handy at relief centres,” he urged.

“Sleeping bags are anytime better than lugging mattresses around and simple tents can be temporary homes. The sleeping bags are effective, practical and easy to carry around. They are both mats and blankets and easy to transport compared to mattresses.”

There has been criticism in the social media that one reason for delays in giving out aid is that such help had to be re-packaged and stamped with the ruling BN logo and pictures of politicians complete with slogans.