Government mechanism in managing natural disasters in Malaysia: achievement factors

Abstract

Malaysia is considered safe from earthquakes. However, it experiences other types of natural disasters such as monsoon floods, landslides and severe haze. In Malaysia, the management of disaster is presently executed through the committee system i.e. The Disaster Management and Relief Committee, which is established at the federal, state or district levels, respectively, based on the nature of the emergency situations. The system emphasis coordination and mobilization of agencies involved, which are grouped into 7 groups to carry out specific tasks in disaster situations. In this paper, we share our experiences in dealing with recent disasters in Malaysia, the early warning systems, and the awareness programs and the mechanisms that have brought success in managing the disasters encountered.