DUNGUN: Early preparation by the armed forces, which made contact with residents in flood-prone locations here facilitated efforts to rescue the victims under Op Murni.
The head of the 18th Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment (Para), Major Mohd Amir Mohd Alid said his team, which is responsible for the Dungun sector, had carried out a reconnaissance of the district much earlier before it was hit by floods early yesterday morning.
"During the reconnaissance, we left our phone numbers with the villagers for them to contact us if there was flooding and they needed rescuing.
"That's why when floodwater levels began to rise this time, the Tok Kah village head notified us at about 11pm.
"At that time, we were supposed to head to Paka but we came straight here from our camp in Kuala Terengganu," he said.
He told reporters this after carrying out cleaning work at the residences of flood victims in Kampung Tok Kah here today.
He said that as the first respondents of the operation, they had to be ready 24 hours a day and closely follow the reports on river water levels by the officer in charge at the armed forces state disaster operations room.
"If the river water levels exceed the danger or alert levels, we will be on standby at the camp and will collaborate with the Dungun District and Land offices, which monitor the areas through closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras," he said, adding that his team comprised three officers and 24 other rank and file personnel.
In addition to Tok Kah, the team under Mohd Amir also focuses on Sura and Paka in the Dungun district.
According to the Terengganu State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), 48 people from Kampung Tok Kah are still housed at the temporary relief centre in SK Tok Kah here as of 4pm.
Overall, the SDMC data also showed a reduction in the number of flood evacuees in Terengganu, with 1,302 victims from 296 families still sheltered at 20 relief centres compared to 1,427 people from 330 families at 2pm. – BERNAMA