KUCHING, Oct 1: Sarawak’s new fire chief Khirudin Drahman will be meeting the State Disaster Management Committee tomorrow to discuss flood relief efforts as the monsoon season nears.
Speaking to reporters at the state Bomba headquarters in Jalan Setia Raja here this morning, he said he would be meeting the committee’s chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas tomorrow to identify flood hotspots around the state and to update the committee on Bomba’s preparations for the monsoon season.
“We have asked all Bomba zones and station chiefs to ready their water assets. In fact, before I reported for duty, the Bomba central command centre in Putrajaya has already ordered all states to ensure their water assets are in good working condition, personnel well trained and their personal protection equipment are in order.
“Even the National Flood Management Committee has already mobilised its forward base all over the country,” he revealed.
Khirudin said for Sarawak, he would ensure that at least 90 per cent of its personnel are on standby throughout the flood season and would work closely with other agencies, like the Civil Defence Force (APM).
He said as long as there were coordinated efforts between Bomba and other agencies, flood relief efforts could be taken care of properly and without much incidents.
Khirudin added that on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting with the State Disaster Management Committee would be a briefing from the state Meteorological Department on rainfall as well as updates for low lying areas, such as Limbang, Lawas, Marudi and Southern areas like Sibu. — DayakDaily
