GOVT MULLING NEW DISASTER COMMAND CENTRE
Centre, to be spearheaded by Nadma, aims to better coordinate aid during disasters, says DPM
THE government is considering a new state-of-the-art command centre to better coordinate aid during disasters, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said yesterday. The deputy prime minister said the centre would be spearheaded by the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
“We must always be prepared for all eventualities. As a way forward, I would like to see Nadma spearhead disaster management by having a state-of-the-art command centre.”
Dr Wan Azizah earlier delivered her opening remarks at the 32nd Meeting of the Asean Committee on Disaster Management and Related Meetings here, which was attended by 84 delegates from Asean member countries and several organisations from Australia, Canada, China and New Zealand.
It was unclear whether the proposal was to set up a new centre or upgrade the existing National Disaster Command Centre in Pulau Meranti, Puchong, which came under Nadma’s management in 2015.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also women, family and community development minister, said her priority as deputy prime minister was to take charge of disaster management, including ensuring the safety and privacy of women during disasters.
She said the idea was to give better shelter to women during disasters by providing them with private cubicles so that they could have privacy.
She said her priorities included disaster risk reduction and enhancing emergency responses with the cooperation of Asean member countries and local public and private sectors.
“We have to work together. It is important because in our region, we face almost the same disasters.
“We have to help each other as neighbours,” she said, adding that resilience in disaster risk reduction came through public and private investments via structural and non-structural measures.