NADMA DG Denies Claims Of Poor Coordination But Its Operation Director & PM Admit Weakness

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Speaking to reporters at a flood operation centre in Taman Sri Muda yesterday, 21 December, Aminuddin said a central disaster management committee meeting was held on 13 September, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, reported Bernama.

"In the meeting, the responder agencies were assigned their duties. So, they are aware of their functions and what needs to be done in the event of a disaster," the DG said.

"There are three levels of disaster management, the first involves a locality in a district. Secondly, when more than two districts of a state are involved, and the third involves two or three states."

According to him, the roles of each agency have been outlined fully, and that there is no lack of coordination among the agencies, reported The Star.

"At the same time, funds are allocated for each agency and district for logistics and necessities," he said.

"If any difficulty occurs, such as if a certain agency does not respond well, NADMA will take over."

Aminuddin said his agency had worked to ensure each agency knows its role, reported The Star.

"At the state level, the disaster committee will have their meeting as well. For example, the Meteorological Department will inform on the state's weather while the Drainage and Irrigation Department will inform on the water levels and flow, so the state secretary will know what assets to mobilise in case of a disaster," he said.

Drawing an example in east coast states, Aminuddin said disaster simulations and training had been conducted over the last two years and NADMA had provided training for officers from different levels up until the district officers.

The DG also denied at the press conference that there was a rift between his agency and the army, calling the rumours "nothing more than lies", reported The Star.

He stressed that his agency had never prevented the army from conducting flood relief efforts.

Addressing the complaints flood victims have made against NADMA, Hussein Omar told BFM that the agency needed time to mobilise assets and human resources from other states, which might have caused the delay.

"Usually, floods will happen in rural areas where we have enough assets and that the density of the people there [is] not that high," he explained.

"But compare with what happened in Taman Sri Muda [and] Klang, the density of the people is very high. The number of people affected [is] really a huge number."

"So, there is a rescue team. There is coordination, but frankly to say the number is too big. So we cannot provide the assistance to everybody."

"We have mobilised assets and human resources from other states. Probably, it takes time to come. There could be a big reason why many people do complain [that] rescue [came] late and all."

During the interview with the radio station, Hussein Omar also acknowledged the criticism the agency faces. He acknowledged that many people were stranded on roads and the rescue never came.

He admitted that the agency did not expect the floods would be devastating in Selangor, while also that it is "unfortunate" that the weather forecast from the Meteorology Department was not accurate this time.

But the premier said the responsibility of managing flood disasters was not that of the federal government alone, as the state governments and relevant authorities at the districts also play an important role.

"NADMA only coordinates. If it is considered a weakness in coordination, I do not defend anyone in this situation. For me, everyone must be held accountable," Bernama reported him as saying.

He also admitted that the heavy rainfall in Selangor was unexpected.

"I don't blame netizens for making complaints, I'm thankful for their continuous complaints to me," he said.

Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions) Datuk Abdul Latiff Ahmad was under fire for likening the floods to being "colour blind" and saying the disaster should be not politicised, reported Malay Mail.

He also received flak for saying NADMA is not directly involved in dealing with natural disasters, such as floods at the state level.

Instead, the minister said the agency under his helm is responsible for providing compensation after being provided information by relevant state authorities.