LACK of proper tools and equipment caused the delays in the rescue mission at Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam, during the recent floods, Selangor police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said.

Arjunaidi said the flood water rose rapidly in Section 25 and the rescue route was filled with submerged cars, making it hard for boats to enter the area.

The Selangor police chief was responding to allegations the police were slow to act when the floods hit on December 19 causing thousands of victims to be stranded waiting for help to arrive.

“The problem was that the water rose rapidly and the police did not have enough equipment.

“Another thing that needs to be understood is the situation in Sri Muda was different as there were many submerged cars and because of that, rescue boats could not enter the affected areas,” he said.

“The boats that we have are not suitable to be used in those situations.”

Arjunaidi denied that police were preoccupied with flooding at one of the stations in the area.

“Every police officer in Shah Alam, including those from Sri Muda went all out to help the victims and at the same time tried to save what we could at the station,” he said.

Arjunaidi also said the area was overcrowded.

“Thousands were displaced and the area has too many residents, so some people were brought out later than the others.”

The flood, which hit several parts of Selangor and Pahang, did not just destroy homes and shelters, it also ruined police stations.

Images of police stations in Shah Alam and Karak submerged by flood were posted on social media last week, as rescue missions were ongoing.

Sri Muda police station was swamped, with the first floor of the station quickly submerged, damaging the front desk counter and other furniture.

Shah Alam police chief Baharudin Mat Taib said police officers who were on duty during the incident managed to salvage important items such as electronic devices including computers.

“We have replaced the furniture through donations from corporate bodies. The front desk was submerged by flood but officers managed to save important devices,” Baharudin said.

“The armoury is on the second floor, so the weapons were safe. Now the station is fully operating.”

Thousands of residents in Sri Muda were displaced by the flood, several deaths were also reported in the area.

The flood was so bad, some residents were left stranded for days inside their homes awaiting rescue.

Port Klang police station, and Batu 14 and Batu 18 police stations in Hulu Langat were also hit severely by the flood.

In Port Klang, there was damage to the interrogation room, armoury and lockers containing belongings of suspects.

However, Klang Selatan police chief Cha Hoong Fong said all items, including weapons, were saved.

“Just the furniture needed to be replaced. The chairs and table in the interrogation room cannot be used anymore, the office needs repairs.”

“Officers have cleaned up the station, and luckily guns and items of the detainees were all not damaged,” Cha said.

Heavy rains two weeks ago caused widespread flooding across the peninsula, displacing tens of thousands of people and leaving at least 50 dead. Two people are still missing.

Selangor was one of the states worst hit and thousands had to be evacuated. Widespread flooding was also reported in Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.

Malaysia is forecast to face the third phase of high tides from January 18 to 21, followed by January 31 to February 3.

Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) water resources management and hydrology division director Azmi Ibrahim said sea levels would be at their highest, which could cause floods during major high tides.

The DID had earlier reported high tides for four days from today until Wednesday involving high-risk areas such as Kuala Muda in Kedah, Bagan Datuk (Perak), Klang, Kuala Langat, Sabak Bernam and Kuala Selangor in Selangor, as well as Batu Pahat and Pontian in Johor.

Meanwhile, Pahang police chief Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf told The Malaysian Insight that despite the bad weather in the state, only Karak police station suffered damage.

He said major repair is underway including fixing the internet connection for the station.

“The furniture is all gone, the front gate, the signage, and the drainage surrounding the station is all badly damaged.

“We also need to fix the internet connection, wiring, electrical wiring and telephone,” he said.

It was reported today that in Pahang, the disaster management committee secretariat reported an increase in the number of flood victims, totalling 2,816 people at 48 evacuation centres in nine districts.

There were 843 evacuees in Kuantan, 691 in Temerloh and 443 in Rompin, while Lipis, Raub, Bera, Jerantut, Maran and Pekan were also affected. – January 9, 2022.