Marine Police readies teams to aid in flood relief efforts
KUCHING: The state Marine Police is ready to provide assistance and disaster relief in the event of flooding following the recent wet weather.
Its commander ACP Salehuddin Mat Zaman said two teams are already on standby to tackle issues arising from possible flash floods or floods.
According to him, each team comprises five members and is led by an Inspector. Both teams are equipped with, among others, a boat, a small tent, generator and fuel.
“When flash flood or flood occurs, we will help because we are prepared for it. We will be providing assistance to the whole of Sarawak, be it in Limbang or Sematan,” he said at a press conference after launching the ‘Moh Ngeteh Merdeka’ programme at the state Marine Police base here yesterday.
Salehuddin said there was no good reason to freeze the leave of his men unless a severe flood hits the state.
He believed that his squad would be more than capable of keeping the situation under control if flash floods happened in certain areas.
“If a lot of areas in Sarawak happened to be affected by flood due to rainy weather like what we are experiencing now, we will have no choice but to freeze the leave.
“At the moment, I believe we can manage because not all areas will be hit by flash flood, but only certain low-lying areas,” he said.
He noted that the water level at sea would continue to rise if it rained incessantly.
“When the sea water level rises, flash floods may take place.
“Thus, we are on standby and will visit places with our SAR (search- and-rescue) kits,” added Salehuddin.