SPARK Foundation, in collaboration with the Global Environment Centre (GEC), organized a flood preparedness training programme to train 30 community leaders in Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam.
The event, which was officiated by Selangor state exco and Kota Kemuning assemblyman V. Ganabatirau, was conducted in response to the increasing need for community-based flood preparedness and resilience as the flood-prone area was one of the locations badly affected during the downpour in December 2021.
“We very much appreciate organisations such as SPARK Foundation and GEC which recognized the need and opportunity to support us in upskilling community leaders in community-based flood preparation and emergency response.
“We are working together to execute this training for 30 selected community leaders to be cascaded down to members of the Taman Sri Muda community, in line with the Selangor State Government’s flood preparation measures for communities,” said Ganabatirau.
SPARK Foundation and GEC will work alongside the Klang District and Land Office as well as the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) Klang to coordinate timely and effective emergency flood response training.
During the programme, participants were taken through a series of presentations and demonstrations for emergency response flood preparedness to reduce disaster risks.
The programme kicked off with a session on ‘The Role and Coordination of Klang District Disaster Committee’ by the Klang District and Land Office where participants were upskilled in emergency coordination as well as to have a better understanding of the agencies’ role, especially to learn about how to better support their communities throughout a flood.
A session on ‘Flood Scenarios and Way Forward for Taman Sri Muda’ conducted by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Klang exposed participants to the history, flooding information, current flood mitigation plans, and future undertaking works in Taman Sri Muda.
There was also an interactive session on the Town-Watching exercise conducted by GEC river care program manager Dr Kalithasam Kailasam. Participants were facilitated on how best to deal with flood risks and the adoption of new skills to prevent and manage floods.
Hands-on activities were carried out to train the communities on preparing Grab Bags, 72-Hour Kit, identifying flood hazards, leveraging potential strengths and developing a localised Town Watching map.
The Grab Bags are fundamental light bags that users may fill with essential documents such as identification documents, birth certificates, marriage certificates that can be grabbed quickly and easily during an emergency evacuation.
Meanwhile, the 72-Hour Kits are packs filled with basic tools and rations serving for household as an aid for survival, for up to three days, in an emergency.
Renuka Indrarajah, trustee of SPARK Foundation, which is the CSR arm of Heineken Malaysia Berhad, said the foundation will grow and develop alongside local communities and create learning opportunities through its partnership with GEC.
“The flood preparedness training programme is a new addition to our list of initiatives, and we are committed to supporting the community by enhancing their flood resilience We aim to train and prepare community leaders for the possibility of future floods as well as to reduce local challenges,” she said.
