Flood rescue: Military doesn't need instructions, but ground situation a hurdle
The Armed Forces will not wait for instructions to save people from floods, said its chief Affendi Buang.
However, he said the situation on the ground may slow down efforts.
Media reports previously cited sources as saying that the Armed Forces wanted to act earlier in Selangor when floods hit over the weekend, but...
The Armed Forces will not wait for instructions to save people from floods, said its chief Affendi Buang.
However, he said the situation on the ground may slow down efforts.
Media reports previously cited sources as saying that the Armed Forces wanted to act earlier in Selangor when floods hit over the weekend, but allegedly did not get approval from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
Queried about this, Affendi said if armed forces personnel are already in position, they will act immediately.
"For flood operations, we have put people on standby... the instructions from the top were already given two months ago, saying 'get ready'.
"If the waters are already rising, who do I wait for? If I have my people and assets there, go ahead and save (the flood victims) first. What is there to wait for?" Affendi said at a press conference in Shah Alam.
Nadma has denied blocking the Armed Forces from carrying out flood rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, Affendi said he was on the ground at Kampung Bukit Lanchong in Shah Alam, Selangor at midnight on Sunday when the floodwaters began rising rapidly at the village.
He said earlier on Saturday evening, the water there was at knee-level, which the villagers reportedly described as a “common” occurrence.
"But to their surprise, within an hour, waters rose to chest height. This did not happen gradually, it happened suddenly," Affendi said, attributing the flash flood to rivers overspilling.
He said the Armed Forces then mobilised assets to carry out rescue operations, but faced obstacles such as roads being cut off.
He added that at 2am the Armed Forces were alerted that people in Taman Sri Muda were also getting trapped by the floods, forcing assets to be diverted.
"In the darkness, we did not know the scale of the situation," he said.
He admitted that the situation was chaotic, especially on the first day, but said flood relief coordination did improve.
He also stressed that the Armed Forces is not the primary agency for disaster management as their main job is to defend the country.
He said the Armed Forces will deploy as many resources as they can, but that people should not judge the state of disaster relief efforts solely on military presence.
Regardless, he said there is always room for more improvement.
"We have to improve from there. Of course, on the first day it will be chaotic, but if everyone puts their efforts together, do their work, we will resolve this and fewer people will suffer," he said.
Affendi said the Armed Forces have also placed one company of 97 troops and five officers on active standby in each state in the event of any further flooding.
The military is also focusing efforts in Pahang, where floods are expected to worsen.
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