TEMERLOH: Civil Defence Force members have the authority to instruct flood victims to evacuate their homes to go to temporary relief centres during floods.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Sabah and Sarawak) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said this was covered under Section 4C(1) of the Malaysia Civil Defence Force Act 1952.
He said this section of the Act states that the Civil Defence Force has the power to direct the public who are affected by floods to evacuate to the relief centres as soon as possible.
"The decision to instruct residents to evacuate their homes is done solely based on safety aspects. Those affected by the floods must adhere to this and make efforts to vacate their homes when instructed to do so to avoid any untoward incidents.
"The National Disaster Management Agency has in place coordinated efforts to ensure all Disaster Management Committees at state and district-levels are prepared to face any eventuality according to the standard operating procedures which have been identified to mobilise manpower, assets and logistics.
"At district-level, a comprehensive database will be compiled with names of residents who require special attention, including the disabled, senior citizens, pregnant women and others. The list will be regularly updated to ensure a smooth evacuation process in the case of floods."
Armizan was met after visiting the SMK Seri Semantan temporary relief centre near here which is housing 346 victims from 108 families from homes that were hit by floods.
Meanwhile, Armizan said all affected states had handled the situation effectively since the Northeastern Monsoon phase which began early last month.
"I hope we can continue the momentum as we have only experienced the first phase of the monsoon rain. Based on the Malaysian Meteorological Department forecast, there will be between four and six monsoon episodes which may bringi continuous heavy rain," he said.