"The quick response team works 24 hours, receives reports from residents, and handles disasters," Head of Riau Islands BPBD Muhamad Hasbi remarked here on Saturday.
Hasbi noted that the quick response team is tasked with operating the equipment required to deal with disasters and is trained to rescue disaster victims.
"Officers coordinate with district and city BPBDs and other agencies in dealing with disasters," he remarked.
During the extreme weather that occurred recently, Riau Islands may face potential disasters, such as high tides, whirlwinds, and coastal floods.
Coastal flooding is one of the disasters that often occurs during the northern wind season and heavy rainfall, especially in coastal areas. During the northern wind season, sea tides tend to be higher.
Seawater may overflow to the land when the tide is high and rainfall is heavy.
Hence, Hasbi urged residents to clean the sewers and not litter, especially during extreme weather.
"Earthquake does not happen in Riau Islands because it is not on a fault," he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Tanjungpinang Regional Secretary Zulhidayat said the number of areas in the province vulnerable to flooding had decreased, from about 45 points to 30 points.
"Handling the flooded areas requires a large budget, so we have to do it carefully. Flood handling is a priority program," he remarked.
Earlier, during a visit to Riau Islands for a coordination meeting on Thursday (November 3), Chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Suharyanto urged the Riau Islands Provincial Government to continue to implement disaster mitigation strategies to deal with potential disaster threats, such as forest and land fires.
Suharyanto suggested that the province bolster the capacity and number of human resources, with competence in the field of disaster mitigation.
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Translator: Nikolas P, Kenzu
Editor: Sri Haryati
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