3 helicopters deployed to deliver aid to flood victims
KUCHING: Three helicopters have been deployed in Miri and put on standby to provide better delivery assistance for f lood victims in the northern region especially in Tinjar and Baram.
Deputy State Secretary Datu Jaul Samion said two of the helicopters came from the army based in Labuan and the third from the Fire and Rescue Department in Miri.
“We had a meeting yesterday and during the meeting we decided that the current standard operating procedure ( SOP) had to be improved. First ly, we have adopted a ‘ forward- based’ approach and the second one is to improve the release of funding for the flood victims,” Jaul said when contacted yesterday.
He admitted that both approaches had been taken into consideration as immediate steps to address the flaws in the current SOP.
“When we talk about ‘forwardbased’ approach, we mean that we have to put up a relief centre as near as possible to the flooded areas so that we can monitor and evacuate the victims faster. Secondly, we have to improve the process of releasing funds to the flood victims,” he said.
However, Jaul, who is also the State Disaster Relief and Coordination Committee deputy chairman, said the committee had no problem with manpower as there were various government agencies assisting in the evacuation and supplying of food to the victims.
When contacted, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is currently in Jakarta, hoped that with the improvement to the SOP, the delivery of various assistance to flood victims would be seamless.
“The whole idea is to remove any bottleneck so that the flood victims can get assistance as soon as possible.”
Uggah, who is also chairman of the State Disaster Relief and Coordination Committee, was obviously disappointed with the current SOP when he visited the flood victims in Tinjar and Baram three days ago.
He said there was an urgent need for back-up aid delivery logistics and better communication in remote areas to overcome reports lag. It’s a lesson learnt which the state government would address to improve the delivery system.
Uggah also noted there was an urgent need to beef up the communication blind spots in remote areas to overcome any shortcomings.
Uggah, who is also Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Economy, also advised the Agriculture Department to go to the ground to assess the losses of the farmers. However, he refused to divulge the government’s next course of action to address the losses of the affected communities.