Monsoon surge: Tawau, LD APM prepared
Published on: Tuesday, December 28, 2021
.jpg "Monsoon surge: Tawau, LD APM prepared")
TAWAU: The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) is prepared in terms of logistics and personnel, to face the eventuality of floods due to the monsoon surge and unpredictable weather.Tawau APM officer, Captain Hussain Mohd Nor, said 33 personnel and several rescue logistics, including seven boats, two ambulances and two five-tonne lorries were on stand-by and ready to be mobilised at any time.
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“We have also identified four flood hotspots, namely Merotai, Kampung Saddani, Kampung Rawa Rawa and along the beach from Batu 4 to Batu Payung,” he said, Monday.
He said State Disaster Management Chairman Datuk Safar Untong had instructed all Disaster Operations Control Centres (PKOB) in Sabah to be activated since two weeks ago to face any eventuality.
Last Thursday (Dec 23), the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) issued a forecast of a monsoon surge from Dec 27 to 30, which is expected to cause, among others, strong winds and rough seas in the South China Sea, as well as continuous rain in the north and east coast of Sabah.
Meanwhile, Tawau PKOB Chairman Joseph Pang advised residents in low-lying areas in Tawau and areas often hit by flash floods to be vigilant.
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“Keep important documents in one place and easy to be carried along when there is a flood, also immediately get out of the house and go to a high and place when the water rises,” he added.
Meanwhile, a resident of Kampung Saddani, Salleh Sallabi, 83, said he is worried about the monsoon surge.
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“Normally, when it happened there will be continuous heavy rain and the house area will be flooded as my house is near a river.
“My house is built on high stilts, so it will not get inundated, but during one of the floods, I lost a car because I forgot to move it to higher ground,” he said, adding he would evacuate whenever instructed to do so by the authorities.
Meanwhile, Lahad Datu APM officer Asby Mohd Anwar said his team had been monitoring the risk areas and sharing the information with the community leaders.
The flood risk areas are Kampung Sapagaya, Segama, Jalan Pancuran, Taman Khazanah Indah and Kampung Teburi, he said, adding the Lahad Datu APM is prepared with 90 members and eight boats for any eventuality.
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