Together We Stand

[ 102 ] Rising from the mud: recovery and reconstruction in Malaysia National Disaster Management Agencies Malaysia M alaysia is located just outside of what is known as the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ — an arc around the Pacific Ocean where a large number of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. In spite of its location, the long-held perception that Malaysia is immune from severe natural disasters, particularly earthquake-related ones, is not accurate. In recent times, Malaysia has been compelled to review its vulnerability to earthquake disasters following the 5.9 magni- tude tremor in the district of Ranau, Sabah on 5 June 2015. The tremor took the lives of 18 mountain climbers on Mount Kinabalu, one of the most popular destinations for climb- ers in the region. The country’s exposure to climate-related disasters has also intensified and this provides evidence, as indicated by the scientific community, that the impacts of climate change could be more severe in years to come. The annual monsoon flood has also shown an increasing trend in its severity and impact, as was seen in December 2014 when the ‘yellow water flood’ showed that Malaysia could again face worsening monsoon floods in the coming years. The yellow water flood was the most challenging for the Government, given the sheer number of people who became victims and the magnitude of the flooding which hampered rescue and relief efforts. The four-day flood caused extensive damage and devastation to infrastructures in many low-lying areas of the country. According to data from the Department of Welfare, at its height, 541,896 people were affected nation- wide and due to this, the Government had to bear a total of RM2.58 billion in losses in public infrastructure alone. The north-east monsoon season annually starts in early November and continues through the first quarter until the end of March. In 2014 the Malaysian Meteorological Department announced that the north-east monsoon season officially began on 7 November. Normally, there would be four to five heavy rainfall episodes during the monsoon season, and this had been observed in recent years. However, during this particular season in 2014, there Rapid shelter and care was provided for the large number of victims left homeless by the flood Some of the flood victims were placed temporarily in government quarters and hostels Image: NADMA Malaysia Image: NADMA Malaysia T ogether W e S tand