ALOR STAR : Speed, efficiency, and good coordination are crucial in early response efforts to minimise human and economic cost of disasters.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in his speech at the opening of the Asean Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercises (ARF DiREx) this evening, stressed that simply possessing response plans was not enough to ensure effective response in the aftermath of a disaster.
"Plans must be regularly exercised. Gaps should be identified and addressed.
"Because the impact and complexity in responding to each disaster is different, it is imperative for us to continuously improve based on the lessons learned.
"When challenges get bigger, we must get better," he said.
Also present during the ceremony were China's State Councillor Wang Yong, Kedah and Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and Datuk Seri Azlan Man, as well as Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin.
Muhyiddin also stated that the exercise during the five-day ARF DiREx 2015 would be based on a hypothetical scenario of the landing of a super typhoon in northern Peninsular Malaysia.
"The scenario is not meant to scare the people of Kedah and Perlis, but to anticipate potential consequences and devise strategies to address the aftermath of the typhoon.
"The main focus of ARF DiREx 2015 is to test civilian-military coordination in disaster relief, create synergy, and synchronise efforts towards supporting effective implementation of the Asean Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) as the common platform.
"It is also expected to test national and regional disaster preparedness to overcome specific challenges such as the effective utilisation of Asean Standby Arrangements for Disaster Relief and Emergency Response; coordination of multi-national maritime search and rescue; the speed of receiving aid or humanitarian assistance as well as its effective and timely distribution; management of consular assistance; and information and media management," he added.