KUCHING, Dec 27: Members of the public especially those living in flood-prone areas including pregnant women, the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases, should immediately make initial preparations to face the possibility of floods.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) in an infographic uploaded on the Sarawak State Health Department’s official Facebook page on Saturday (Dec 25) urged high-risk groups to comply with instructions if required to evacuate.
“Women and pregnant mothers if instructed to move, need to bring along a pregnancy test card and personal needs such as towels, baby or child care needs and medical supplies.
“Meanwhile, pregnant mothers who are about to give birth are asked to immediately inform the health authorities,” it said.
For patients with chronic conditions who are seeking treatment, the MOH advised them to bring along medical record books, personal items and medical supplies if instructed to evacuate.
The MOH added that family members of patients who are bed-ridden and patients who need to undergo hemodialysis are advised to evacuate the patient and contact the Health Office for further advice.
MOH also advised the public to adopt nine steps to prevent flood-related diseases. This includes to avoid playing or soaking in flood water because flood water may be contaminated with overflow of faeces from septic tanks, animal faeces and animal carcasses.
Other steps include wearing personal protection during the operation to evacuate flood victims, immediately cleaning the body with clean water if exposed to flood water, washing hands properly and always maintaining personal hygiene as well as not using flood water for cleaning.
Earlier, the Chief Minister’s Office had issued a statement urging residents vulnerable to floods to be prepared due to the continuous heavy rains that are forecast to occur on Wednesday (Dec 29) and Thursday (Dec 30) in western Sarawak.
MetMalaysia disclosed that based on the analysis of the weather system, there is the possibility of continuous heavy rain from Dec 27 to 29, 2021 due to the monsoon season. – DayakDaily
