PENANG’s proposal to set up a weather alert system is to serve as a warning for bad weather.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s special legal officer Raja Syarafina Raja Shuib said it was wrong for a Universiti Malaya professor to call it illegal.

“The proposed alert system is the state’s response towards mitigating future losses caused by adverse weather conditions. 

“It is wrong for Professor Azizan Abu Samah to argue on legal liability, as it would not serve as a daily weather forecast channel. 

“Penang wishes to prepare and protect ourselves against any future severe rainstorm,” she said in a statement today.

Azizan, a climate expert, told The Star it was feasible for Penang to set up an independent weather alert system, but the state would assume legal responsibility if they were to issue their own alerts.

“When an agency forecasts the water levels at a river will soon rise above danger levels, there is legal basis to instruct residents to move to safety.

“The legal basis a Penang government alert would have is something that has to be studied,” Azizan said, adding any move by Penang to collects weather data should complement the Meteorological Department’s efforts.

Lim had criticised the Met Department in issuing a bad weather alert to Penang in the November 4 and 5 storms that brought winds of 64km per hour and caused flash floods throughout the state.

It was reported the department only issued a red notice for very heavy rain at 9.30pm on November 4 when rain had started in the morning. 

The late alert, the state government said, had caused the authorities to be unprepared to face the disaster, which was Penang’s worst in 30 years. 

Over 12,500 people had to be evacuated.

The state government also took the Met Department to task for issuing two more red alerts for Penang earlier this week but no rain came.

At the recent state legislative assembly, Lim said the state was studying how to source more accurate weather forecasts from overseas to help the state prepare for adverse weather.

“After what Penangites have gone through, that question must not be ignored, especially with non-existent early warnings or even false forecasts by the Met Department to the state government. 

“The Penang government does not want to be caught unprepared again. A better way is for the government to try all efforts to ensure Penangites are well informed and well prepared for any potentially adverse weather conditions. 

“For this purpose, the Penang government will conduct a study on how data from meteorological services from other countries in the region could be compiled and used for alerts. 

“This will involve foreign experts where countries that have indicated their willingness to assist include China, Britain and Japan, countries which are familiar with nature-related disasters,” she said. – November 19, 2017.