BUTTERWORTH: The Civil Defence Force (APM) has identified 124 flood-prone hotspots statewide, during the current monsoon transition phase.
APM Penang assistant director (operations sector) Major Kamal Jakariah said there were 13 and 15 hotspots respectively in the northeast and southwest districts on the island.
He said there were 15 hotspots in the Seberang Prai Selatan (SPS) district, while Seberang Prai Utara (SPU) district has 37 hotspots and Seberang Prai Tengah (SPT) district has 44 hotspots.
"We are monitoring these hotspots.
"We have also activated our assets and put in place the necessary preparations to face any eventualities.
"Penang experienced the first phase of flooding from Sept 17 to Sept 21, which saw 760 victims from 202 families," he said at the APM SPU office in Bagan Jermal here today.
During the monsoon transition period, thunderstorms typically resulted in heavy rainfall and strong winds over a short period, particularly during the late afternoon and early evening.
Such conditions might caused flash floods, fallen trees and damage to weak structures.
Kamal said a total of 510 officers and personnel had been provided with the necessary training for search-and-rescue, emergency assistance and flood-assistance operations.
"Our assets, which comprise 11 light rescue vehicles, 67 bots of various models, seven heavy rescue vehicles and 14 medical rescue vehicles, are ready to be mobilised when needed.
"We also have information-sharing channels with other departments and agencies for us to work more effectively and efficiently," he added.
Kamal said they had also successfully trained 750 villagers from seven villages on how to deal with floods in their area, from communications to evacuation.
This, he said, was an ongoing exercise.
"This first-hand training has proven to be successful when we faced the first phase of flooding last month.
"We hope to train more villagers to ensure they are better prepared to face flooding," he said.