Community involvement key to effective disaster response, says Fatimah

DALAT (Nov 8): Community involvement is the foundation to making disaster management and risk reduction effective, said Sarawak Women, Children and Community Wellbeing minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

In stating this, she noted that as the frontline, the local community requires adequate knowledge, skills and resources to respond quickly and effectively.

She said this when officiating at the launch of the Malaysian Civil Defence Force’s (APM) Northeast Monsoon preparation training, held at the Kaul Oya Festival site today.

“As the implementing agency for the Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) programme, APM must empower the community to be first responders and risk reduction agents.

“I have been informed that up to today, there have been 171 training sessions involving 17,350 participants in this programme.

“I want more community participation in such programme, in order to build stronger resilience in facing future disasters,” Fatimah said.

Additionally, the Dalat assemblywoman urged agencies involved in district disaster to work together to increase community exposure.

“This is to strengthen resilience, awareness and readiness of the community through comprehensive and holistic risk management,” she said, adding that she hoped programmes like the training could carry on in the future.

“I believe programmes like this serve as a form of encouragement, motivation and aspiration to nurture sensitive individuals who can enhance awareness of emergencies and disasters.

“This, in turn, could improve performance and efficient disaster management within the agency,” she added.