ALOR SETAR – The Kedah Civil Defence Force (APM) is ready to face any risk of disaster including heavy rains and floods during the monsoon season taking into account the current situation of the COVID-19 outbreak.
State APM director Lieutenant Colonel (PA) Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub said the experience of operating COVID-19 quarantine stations in the state had exposed its personnel with efficient working procedures to assist the victims.
“We are ready with the strength of 670 members along with assets such as 14 lorries, 14 ambulances and 75 boats of various sizes in the state. The monsoon season this time is different from the previous year because the number of COVID-19 cases in Kedah is in its peak,” he told reporters here today.
Awang Askandar, who is also State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat member, said that the committee meeting had recently discussed and set guidelines in dealing with floods in the event of an outbreak.
“There is a special SOP (standard operating procedure) set by the central government through NADMA (National Disaster Management Agency) and APM also has its own SOP in facing disaster. Complete and comprehensive preparation as well as preliminary planning have been done,” he said.
Elaborating further, he said APM would also refer and seek advice from the District Health Office before performing any rescue operations or providing assistance to disaster victims to avoid the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
— BERNAMA
