KUALA LUMPUR: The recent floods, described as one of the worst in recent memory, came with a hefty price tag and has forced many to relook at the country's natural disaster preparedness and management.

Triggered by days of heavy rain, the catastrophic chain of events has claimed lives, displaced thousands of people and caused extensive property damage.

Much has been said about the slow response time and slow distribution of aid, with frustrated flood victims throwing brickbats at the government.

Environmental health expert Professor Dr Jamal Hisham Hashim, in calling for change, said Malaysia already had a few wake-up calls with the severe floods nationwide in 2014 and the 2017 Penang flood. 

Therefore, he said, the recent floods in many parts of the country should have been anticipated.

He said the authorities and the people were more prepared for floods in the east coast of the peninsula.

"We are less prepared against urban flash floods, as evident in the 2017 Penang flood and the recent Klang Valley floods.

"Flood management in urban areas may need a slightly different approach as communities are less cohesive and less prepared against natural hazards, population density is higher, there's probably a higher percentage of vulnerable populations like children and the elderly, there's a lack of community assets and matters are complicated by traffic congestion.

"Urban flash floods are more sudden due to higher surface flow and poor ground absorptive capacity. They tend to be more sudden and unsuspecting as we saw in the recent Klang Valley floods. Our reaction and response to urban flash floods has to be more prepared, proactive and focused," said the Universiti Selangor honorary professor.

Jamal suggested several short-term measures to address the
situation, including improving weather forecasting and flood prediction, introducing a public emergency alert system through traditional and social media and improving traffic control and diversion during flash floods.

For medium-term plans, he said local communities must be involved in disaster emergency response planning by empowering residents' associations, local religious institution committees and non-governmental organisations.

"Introduce emergency response plans in the school and university curriculum so that the young generation will be disaster-literate.

"Plan new hospitals, clinics and schools away from low-lying, flood-prone areas."

He said each state and local government should invest in disaster assets, like boats, life jackets, drones and generators, depending on their flood-proneness and vulnerability.

As a former scientific expert panel member with the National Disaster Management Agency, Jamal said he had suggested that efforts focus on saving lives during disasters.

"The magnitude and severity of a flood disaster is beyond our control. However, saving lives is.

"The figures of 48 deaths and five people missing (up to Dec 27) are far too high for a flood of such magnitude and severity."

He said it meant we were not doing enough to prevent deaths and in flood preparedness and response.

A municipal council officer involved in coordinating relief efforts on the ground, said in any situation, quick response time when rescuing disaster victims was "non-negotiable" as it would give them a sense of safety and comfort during a traumatic event.

"For instance, when we learn that there's a flood, we will check whether the areas are in our jurisdiction. We will then coordinate and form teams that will be mobilised to those areas. Saving lives comes first," said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Time is of the essence, he said, and effective communication is crucial in the coordination of rescue operations and aid distribution.