APM Faces Challenges Evacuating Victims In Kulim Floods

KULIM, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- The lack of manpower and assets has left the Civil Defence Force (APM) in Kulim facing various challenges in the early stages of its flood rescue operations in the district.

Kulim APM assistant officer Lieutenant (PA) Azman Amat said this was following the sudden surge of flood victims who had to be evacuated, especially yesterday.

However, he added that they managed to overcome the situation following the assistance provided by various other agencies, such as the Fire and Rescue Department and the police.

"The floods this time are more challenging because there are more victims who need to be evacuated. We were lacking in assets initially, but Alhamdulillah, we managed to overcome the problems.

"Various other agencies chipped in, and even the APMs from other districts sent their personnel to help us manage the situation in Kulim,” he said today.

According to him, another challenge they faced was the attitude of certain residents who refused to evacuate despite their residences being inundated or the roads to their areas becoming inaccessible due to floods.

Azman said that in such a situation, they could only advise the residents to either evacuate or always monitor the rising water levels.

"My advice to the people in Kulim is to heed the advice and requests from the rescue agency personnel to avoid any untoward incidents,” he said.

Meanwhile, Azman said that a total of 45 Kulim APM personnel, with assistance from personnel from other districts, are continuously monitoring the flood situation due to the ongoing rainy weather.

-- BERNAMA