NADMA Strengthens Disaster Preparedness, Prioritizes Critical Assets & Early Warnings
KUCHING: The National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) is reinforcing disaster preparedness through proposed centralized procurement of critical assets and the utilisation of early warning systems down to the district and local levels.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Patinggi Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the step is vital to ensure adequate assets are available and can be deployed immediately during disasters, while enabling rescue operations and resident evacuations to be executed earlier.
According to him, assets proposed for procurement by NADMA include boats and heavy vehicles, which will then be operated and maintained by relevant agencies such as the police, fire and rescue department, and civil defence force.
“Regarding assets — boats and heavy vehicles for the use of monitoring agencies like the police, fire brigade, or civil defence — the recommendation from the meeting earlier is that these assets be purchased by NADMA and operated as well as maintained by the respective agencies, as they face challenges in terms of asset acquisition and maintenance,” he said.
He said this during a press conference following the National Disaster Management High-Level Committee (HLC) Meeting No. 1/2026 at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here on Wednesday.
At the same time, Datuk Patinggi Dr Ahmad Zahid noted that existing early warning systems must be fully utilised down to the district and local levels to enable evacuation actions to be taken before conditions deteriorate.
“Therefore, we want the existing early warning system to be utilised at the coordination, district, and local levels before floods occur and before heavy rainfall exceeds normal levels, ensuring evacuations are carried out early,” he said.
According to him, early action not only helps protect lives, but also provides residents with time to save important documents and belongings before disasters strike.
He added that effective disaster management depends on coordination between the Federal Government, State Government, ministries, departments, enforcement agencies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) possessing relevant assets and expertise.
Furthermore, he stated that NGOs can also play a role in disaster communication, including providing alternative communication systems in the event of power outages or disruptions to existing communication networks.
This approach reflects NADMA’s emphasis on pre-disaster preparedness through asset strengthening, early warning systems, and inter-agency coordination to mitigate risks and protect communities.
Also present were Deputy Premier of Sarawak and Chairman of the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Deputy Minister for Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang. — UKASnews
