15 Permanent Relief Centres Being Built Nationwide - NADMA

KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Fifteen permanent disaster relief centres (PPKB), equipped with basic facilities, are being built nationwide to serve flood victims, said National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) deputy director-general (Post-Disaster) Hussain Moh.

According to him, the PPKB at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Medan, Johor, was expected to be the first to be completed in early January next year.

“At present, we are only building one PPKB for each state as a pilot project, but in Terengganu, there are two (projects), namely upgrading the existing temporary relief centres (PPS) and building a new PPKB.

“The PPKB project at SK Banggol Peradong is expected to be completed by July next year, while the PPS at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Matang has been upgraded and may be used if flooding occurs this monsoon season,” he told reporters after the handover of the Terengganu State Disaster Command Centre (SDCC) here today.

The SDCC is part of the MADANI government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and ensure more efficient and systematic management, involving cooperation from all parties at the state level to protect lives and property.

Hussain said that the construction of each PPKB involved an average cost of around RM8 million, depending on site conditions and the needs of each state.

He said that once completed, each PPKB would be able to house up to 500 flood victims, ensuring comfort and efficient management.

Hussain said that the capacity was set to allow comfortable use of the facilities, covering staff rest sections, dining facilities, surau, and medical treatment zones that are disabled- and elderly-friendly.

He added that the construction of the PPKB could also reduce reliance on schools as PPS, helping to avoid disruption to school sessions, particularly during examination periods.

“We do not want to disrupt schools where possible, since more than 50 per cent of PPS are in schools. When floods occur, it affects lessons and examinations such as the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, which is why we are building PPKBs to reduce the disruption,” he said.

Hussain, in the meantime, said that NADMA, together with all relevant agencies, including the State and District Disaster Management Committees, had been on full alert to deal with any potential flooding.

Meanwhile, the Terengganu Prime Minister’s Department (JPM) Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) said in a statement that the MADANI government had allocated a total of RM26.5 million for disaster management in Terengganu, particularly in preparation for the Northeast Monsoon each year.

It said this included basic infrastructure repair works, involving 317 small-scale projects worth RM200,000 and below across Terengganu.

--BERNAMA