Disaster preparedness: Country on right track - Mercy Malaysia

 

Malaysia is on the right track to ensure the country’s preparedness in dealing with disasters, said Mercy Malaysia deputy executive director Hafiz Amirrol.

He said the improvements implemented include communications as well as awareness of risks and requirements to deal with disasters at every level, from the federal to state governments and local authorities.

“Preparedness in terms of understanding the risks… For example, the relevant parties are aware of and understand the need for funds for response, recovery, and preparedness.

“Improvements can also be seen in technical agencies, where every action taken in relation to disaster risk management is now a more risk-informed decision,” he told Bernama when contacted.

When tabling Budget 2023 on Feb 24, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that RM150 million will be channelled to the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) to improve asset requirements, warning systems, and assistance to affected people.

RM50 million was also allocated to the Malaysian Armed Forces, the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, and the Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department (Rela) for equipment and assets to deal with disasters.

The role of the community as first responders was strengthened with a RM20 million allocation under the Caring Community Organisation Grant.

Hafiz said the allocations needed to be used optimally and managed through good risk governance at every level of disaster management.

He also said the disaster warning system needs to be improved so information can be disseminated quickly and can be easily understood by the community, including persons with disabilities.

Early warning system

Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Centre director Khamarrul Azahari Razak believes the government’s focus on the early warning system reflected its commitment to meeting the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.

He said based on his observation, the preparedness of government agencies, especially first responders, was at a good level, but their capacity needed to be improved from time to time depending on the scale, location, and type of disaster.

“In addition to empowering state governments and local authorities, the government also needs to pay attention to asset maintenance and not just focus on purchasing new ones.

“We also must consider the future scenario or what we refer to as new disasters, such as the sediment-related disaster in Baling, Kedah. Therefore, the allocation amount may need to be increased in the future,” he said.

Khamarrul also said the government is right to increase the community’s disaster preparedness level because they can act as emergency responders since they are already at the scene.

Apart from training communities to deal with disasters, he suggested the government look into other needs, such as equipment or specific assets that can be used to strengthen their roles as first responders.

- Bernama