ALOR STAR: An expert in disaster management urged the government to educate people living in disaster-prone areas on survival skills.
They said they must be taught to identify risks and to properly react during disasters to minimise the risk of injury and casualty.
Universiti Utara Malaysia Disaster Management Institute director Dr Chong Khai Lin said while mitigating disasters is imperative, absolute prevention of natural disasters is unattainable.
"In my opinion, the government should provide training to equip society with the knowledge to respond effectively during emergencies or disasters since it concerns human lives.
"We should provide information kits to educate the community to deal with disasters and customise them based on the different needs and interests of the particular community.
"It shouldn't be only focused on a single type of disaster, but rather encompasses all potential scenarios. None of us can guarantee that disasters will not occur in the future, even if we have not yet encountered them," she told the New Straits Times when contacted today.
Chong also urged the government to disseminate information about potential risks associated with specific disasters during the monsoon or inter-monsoon seasons.
"Commonly, the public tends to be less alert if they have not experienced a particular type of disaster before. Additionally, they may not be aware of the proper channels for obtaining accurate information."
Chong was responding to the landspout disaster that severely damaged about 10 houses in Kampung Manggol Bonggor in Kodiang yesterday.
Local residents described the incident as the most devastating landspout disaster in the area.
Chong explained that landspouts typically occur in flat and low-lying areas such as the vast padi fields in Kedah.
"Landspouts form from the ground up, rather than from a mesocyclone, and are associated with shallow, low-precipitation thunderstorms.
"They are less destructive and have a different appearance from tornadoes, with a narrower funnel and a more diffused cloud base," she said.
However, she pointed out that the frequency and intensity of landspouts in the state have increased in recent years due to climate change.
"High temperatures will increase the instability of the atmospheric conditions. Hot air due to high temperatures will rise and circulate in the atmosphere, this 'spinning' air then gets sucked up into a developing thunderstorm.
"Thus, climate change indeed plays a role in this. I would say that due to climate change, extreme events have become more significant than before," she added.