TEMERLOH, Dec 13 — Residents in flood-affected areas are advised to relocate immediately to relief centres (PPS) as soon as authorities issue a directive, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

He said the directive will be issued after taking into consideration the safety factor for residents to avoid any untoward incidents, besides there are provisions in the law that require residents to evacuate to PPS if so instructed.

Based on Section 4C(1) of the Malaysian Civil Defence Act 1952 (Act 221), the Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) as the secretariat for the disaster management committee at the state and district levels has the authority to enforce the evacuation of residents.

"Although action can be taken on residents who do not obey (the evacuation order), at this stage we are focusing on awareness so that the community understands the order has been issued taking into account the safety of flood victims.

"We also hope that all authorities especially parents will look into the safety aspects (during floods) seriously as climate-related matters from year to year are expected to be more serious,” he told reporters after inspecting the PPS at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Semantan here today.

PPS SMK Seri Semantan, which began operations last Thursday, is housing 339 victims from 103 families, a majority of whom are from Kampung Batu Kapor here, which is hit by floods annually due to its close proximity to Sungai Semantan.

Armizan also said as of this morning, besides Pahang, flooding has occurred in Perak, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu with the total number of victims at 2,763 from 834 families housed at 22 PPS.

The community is also reminded to be always alert and refer to the latest information from verified sources regarding the floods, as the Malaysian Meteorological Department forecast expects between four and six significant episodes of continuous heavy rain during the Northeast Monsoon this time.

Elaborating on the collaboration between agencies relating to the floods, Armizan also said that so far, the coordination and preparedness of all parties is running according to the standard operating procedures (SOP) set, and improvements can always be made based on experience and situations to ensure the welfare of the people is always guaranteed. — Bernama