GEORGE TOWN, Dec 26 — Penang has sent out its medical Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and ‘Save City Volunteers’ on a special humanitarian mission to assist the flood victims in Pahang and Selangor.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government had also sent 75 per cent of its Voluntary Firefighting Team (PBS) members to the flood-hit areas in the two states to help reduce the burden of the victims.
“All the 35 PBS in Penang are in a state of preparedness,” he said in a statement today, adding that it would continue to communicate with the two states as the state government sympathised and was in solidarity with the flood victims who were struggling to return to normal life.
Chow said that based on Penang’s experience in facing a massive flood in November 2017 and its involvement in helping flood victims in the East Coast in 2014, various parties in Penang including the state assemblymen and local authority councillors had acted fast following the flood incident.
“They not only arrived at the affected locations at the early stage but food, medicines and rescue equipment were continuously sent out in stages to assist the flood victims.
“The corporate bodies, individuals, non-governmental organisations and other concerned parties were also together with the state government to help the flood victims in whatever possible way,” he recalled.
He added that although 17 years had passed, Penang had not forgotten that fateful date, December 26, 2004 when the tsunami in the Andaman Sea destroyed the lives of some people in this state, but in the spirit of togetherness, Penang managed to rise again including by assisting those in difficulties.
Meanwhile, as a long-term measure, the Penang government through the Green Agenda including the Resilience to Climate Emergency approach, has set up the Disaster Unit with the research and data collection to be conducted by the state agency, Penang Green Council (PGC), on the related issues.
“In line with this too, a large-scale training plan involving 299 Village Communities Management Councils (MPKK) on the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) technique, use of the automated external defibrillator (AED), basic emergency assistance and other skills training will be conducted,” Chow said. — Bernama
