KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Early preparations are in place to face the north-east monsoon which has been forecast for this month, said Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

She said the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) will work with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and the Education Ministry to organise assistance during the floods.

She said at the moment, basic aid such as temporary relief centres, food and other items are all ready.

"We are always on standby before every flood. Everything is already there, schools have been gazetted as relief centres, food is ready, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are all there.”

She said this in a press conference after the Jalinan KASIH KPWKM programme with non-governmental organisations (NGO) here today.

MetMalaysia, in its weather outlook for September 2023 to March 2024, has forecast that the north-east monsoon will start in November 2023 with four to six episodes of monsoon surges of continuous rain with potential flooding.

Earlier during her speech, Nancy said RM96 million has been channelled to 2,672 NGOs so far since the Treasury Special Assistance (BKP) was introduced in 2001.

She said 6,697 women, family and community development programmes with nearly a million participants have been implemented nationwide during that time.

"The Jalinan Kasih programme was created as a collaborative platform to ensure the national direction and agenda for women, family and community empowerment is in line with the objective and actions of NGOs.

"This initiative provides NGOs the opportunity to share their views and ideas, which will enhance the programme, strengthen their role and expand the strategic cooperation between us,” she said. — Bernama