KK police engage boat owners, 4WD and public in flood management

 By Olivia Miwil - January 5, 2022 @ 7:12pm

District police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaidi Abdullah (centre) said this was among the initiatives that were brought up during a dialogue today regarding safety management during floods. - NSTP/MOHD ADAM ARININ

KOTA KINABALU: Police have roped in boat operators and owners in a joint effort to manage floods in the city.

District police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zaidi Abdullah said this was among the initiatives that were brought up during a dialogue today regarding safety management during floods.

The dialogue involved representatives of several segments of the local community in Kota Kinabalu.

Zaidi said to date, they had registered 39 small boat owners comprising tour operators, fishermen and individuals who can be mobilised during disasters to help with flood relief efforts.

"We have made an engagement with them. Should there be any disaster, they will be helping in the evacuation and crime prevention during floods and the distribution of aid afterwards.

"The boat owners are from Pulau Gaya, Likas and Menggatal. They approached us," he said, adding those three places were not necessarily flood-prone.

However, he said there were 38 flood hotspots here and around the city including Luyang, Inanam, Menggatal and Alamesra near here.

He added although the city was usually hit by flash floods, the police will not be complacent as there were still possibilities of major floods occurring following bad weather warning related to the northeast monsoon that is predicted to last till month.

Zaidi was speaking to reporters after a hour-long dialogue on safety management during floods with 75 community leaders, tour operators, four-wheel drive vehicle association members and non-governmental organisations at the district police station's multipurpose hall here.

He added the event was about sharing of roles among members of the public in helping first responders to save lives. Such efforts were also about cooperation in crime prevention efforts throughout the disaster.

"When the community and NGOs know their roles and responsibilities, we can act more efficiently and organise ourselves in the relocation and rescuing of people.

"We also want to maintain the safety of locations that will attract people, such as retail shops and supermarkets that sell food, as there will be people who are desperate to break in as what happened at a Mydin hypermarket outlet near Kuala Lumpur."

Earlier during the dialogue, Zaidi reminded the attendees to know their roles in various aspects.

He said among other things, they should alert others in the event of a disaster via their WhatsApp groups, identify flood-prone houses and the number of people affected; cooperate with authorities in the event of an evacuation; ensure safety by switching off electricity and locking their houses;and take necessities including medication to relief centres, among other things.