DENGKIL, Dec 6 — The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) has urged the public not to spread inaccurate weather forecasts, as this could undermine the rescue agency’s plans for the monsoon season.

APM Chief Commissioner Datuk Aminurrahim Mohamed said the agency’s personnel and assets are ready to face the third episode of the monsoon season, which will see continuous rain starting next week in the eastern peninsula.

As such, he said cooperation and communication have been strengthened with NADMA (National Disaster Management Agency) partners and Civil Defence Auxiliary (CDA) members to ensure thorough preparations.

“I urge netizens not to spread inaccurate news. Spreading inaccurate forecasts will hinder the planning of government agencies. We fear that we will focus on the wrong place, so the needs of locations at that particular time will be affected,” he told reporters after the flagging off ceremony of the APM Ihsan MADANI Squad here today.

Aminurrahim also called on the public contributing to flood victims to contact the district, state, NADMA and APM disaster management secretariats so that efforts could be coordinated and contributions not piled up in one place.

He said, at present, cooking oil was urgently needed, especially in Kelantan, and contributions such as clothing were not needed because they were sufficient.

Meanwhile, Aminurrahim also called upon Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) volunteers to help repair flood victims’ electrical equipment and motorcycles.

He said this was important because electrical equipment could be reused, preventing it from becoming solid waste and reducing the suffering of flood victims.

Aminurrahim said the needs now were more focused on cleaning and washing flood victims’ houses, surau, places of worship, and food for flood victims who had returned home.

He said that 126 flood relief centres (PPS) were still operating in the seven affected states namely Kelantan, Kedah, Terengganu, Johor, Melaka, Perak, and Pahang, with the number of flood victims dropped to only 36,146 people from 153,000 previously.

He said NADMA partners and CDA had mobilised nearly 11,000 volunteers since the floods began, bringing 275 tonnes of aid worth RM14.25 million. — Bernama