As one of the series of DPPC outreach activity, DPPC Director, Professor Masafumi Goto and team members, Dr. Khamarrul Azahari Razak, Master of Disaster Risk Management (MDRM) course coordinator, Dr. Aznah Nor Anuar, Certified Professional Training (CPT) coordinator and Dr. Shohei Matsuura, DPPC JICA Expert, visited the state of Penang and Kedah from 13-15 March 2017. The team had a series of meeting with the strategic partners including Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Penang, Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Penang, Civil Defense Department (APM) Penang, APM Kedah and Disaster Management Institute (DMI) of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Kedah.
The objectives of the roadshow were to provide public talk with various stakeholders on current disaster risk management (DRM) issues, particularly from Japan, share information on DPPC activities, promotion of MDRM and CPT and discussion on possible future collaboration in research and training.
At USM, the team was received by Professor Dr. Habibah Hj. Lateh, Prof. Dr. Ismail Abustan and other USM faculty team members. The discussions ranged from future collaborative research activities that targets disaster-prone communities in State of Penang to strengthening partnership, especially with state level DRM agencies.
At DID Penang, the team had a series of discussions with Director Ir. Sabri Bin Abdul Mulok and his assistant directors about issues and activities of the department that focused on flooding situation in the region. The team was informed that DID is keen to know more on how their technical work are contributing to the DRM efforts of the first responders in the communities. Briefing on the MDRM/CPT program also drew interest for training mid-career staffs in the department.
Various DRM stakeholders, including Penang Meteorological Office and State Office, participated in the meeting with the Civil Defense Department Penang. The region as a whole suffers from constant flooding and landslides and faces risk from tsunami. Questions ranged from specifics on effective early warning system (EWS) and ways to raise public awareness for communities to take timely and appropriate actions.
The public talk at APM Kedah also attracted many stakeholders from the State Disaster Management and Relief Committee. Presentation on the Japanese case study from 2011 East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami aroused questions on how Malaysia DRM efforts compare with those in Japan and how the Firefighting Volunteer (Shobodan) system is helping communities to enhance their resilience to disasters.
The final program of the roadshow was the visit to Disaster Management Institute (DMI) of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Kedah. DMI being close to the field and having strength in the social science aspect of DRM could become a strong collaborator for DPPC for implementing on the ground research activities in the future.
DPPC would like to send its heartfelt thanks to all the partners who have warmly received the team and look forward to establishing a long-term relationship.