Forum script

INTRODUCTION

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning I bid to everyone. I am Muhammad Alif Firdaus bin
Azizul, a 3rd year student of environmental science in National University of Malaysia, and I will be
your moderator for this forum. Today, we have 4 panelists with different backgrounds. Our first
panellist is Mr Amsyar Amnee. Do you mind introducing yourself, Mr Amsyar? (Introduce) Thank
you, Mr Amsyar. Next, we have Mrs Aina Zahirah. May you introduce yourself, Mrs Aina? (Introduce)
Thank you, Mrs Aina. Our next panellist is Mrs Puteri Qurratul Aini. How are you, Mrs Puteri?
(Introduce) Thank you, Mrs Puteri. And our last panellist is a representative from NADMA, Mrs
Wahyun Afildah. Can you share your background, Mrs Wahyun? (Introduce) Alright, thanks, Mrs
Wahyun.

(OVERVIEW and EVIDENCE)

Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin our forum, take a look at the sky. It is nice weather, right?
Well, don’t judge a book by its cover because maybe a heavy thunderstorm will occur later in the
evening. What if the rain caused unwanted events, such as natural disaster? Sometimes, this
unpredictable weather will predict to severe natural disasters, such as floods, which usually occurs at
the end of the year at several states.

There are a few types of flood that is common in our country: Flash flood, monsoon flood, and
repeated flood. Based on a study, about 48% of flood cases recorded are monsoon floods, 33% are
flash floods, and 18% are repeated flood. The average flood water level recorded are 0.3m, 0.6m and
1.0m. Meanwhile, the average flash flood occurred in less than 6 hours in most cases, but sometimes
it exceeds 72 hours.

These floods have negative effects on our country. Some of flood factors are monsoon season. Poor
drainage, and rapid urbanization in megacities. Based on a research study, the risk indicators mark of
Malaysia in 2020 was 7.1, which is very high and a threat to millions of people’s lives. The flood also
prevents the country’s development in terms of economic and technological advancement.

In response to these hazards, several questions come to our mind. What should we do? What steps
should be taken? What actions should relevant authorities do?

This triggers our main title of our forum today: “HINDRANCE AND ACTIONS IN CONFRONTING
NATURAL DISASTERS IN MALAYSIA.”. Ladies and gentlemen, sit back, relax, and enjoy our forum. We
will discuss about the factors, stages in managing and preparedness, issues and challenges faced,
and who is responsible for responding to natural hazards in Malaysia.

(QUESTIONS TO PANELLISTS)

It is undeniable to say that there are no challenges and issues regarding disaster management. Mr
Amsyar, what are the challenges and issues of natural disaster management in our country?

(PANELLISTS 1 TALKS)

Thank you, Mr Amsyar. Such a great talk from him. Ladies and gentlemen, some of the factors that
makes disaster management challenging are lack of coordination, lack of planning of a long-term
recovery, limited recourses, and exposed to cyber threats. It is confirmed that these factors makes
the process of managing natural disasters hard and challenging.
We move on to our next question. As a critical thinker, we should know that there must be a reason
for how natural disaster happens. Mrs Aina, can you share with us, what are the main factors of
natural disasters?

(PANNELIST 2 TALKS)

Such a great explanation from Mrs Aina. Thank you, Mrs Aina. From her talk, we learn that the main
factor of the environmental disasters is human intervention. Flood and landslide are the most
common natural disasters that happens in Malaysia. Let me recap the factors of flood and landslide.
For flood: heavy rain, reduction in flood storage, insufficient drainage system, constrictions at
bridges and culvets, and tidal backwater effect. For landslide: climate, earthquakes, mining, and
clear cutting. We should know that our actions have the consequences.

We move on to the next point. In order to handle natural disasters, I believe that relevant authorities
have taken some steps so that everything is under control. Mrs Puteri, do you mind share with us
the stages or the phases taken by them in managing natural disasters in Malaysia?

(PANELLISTS 3 TALKS)

Thank you, Mrs Puteri. Such a useful information uttered by her. Ladies and gentlemen, take these
keywords to be taken home: Prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
These are the phases of natural disasters. I am also intrigued with the statement “Social media can
be used as a communicating information particularly during the preparedness phase”. At least,
people know how to utilize social media when disaster happens. Today, I also learned that there are
a lot of agencies that plays a role in managing natural disasters.

Last but not least, to our last panelist, Mrs Wahyun. In Malaysia, there are a lot of organizations as
well as agencies who are responsible for controlling these natural disasters. My question is, who
plays the most important roles in managing natural disasters in Malaysia?

(PANELLIST 4 TALKS)

Thank you Mrs Wahyun for the sharing just now. We are lucky to have NADMA representative to
explain their jobs regarding to disaster management and preparedness in our country. Everything is
under guidance and monitoring of NADMA with the help of various agencies such as government
agencies, district offices, and many more. I am surprised to know that there are almost 36 to 79
agencies registered and cooperatiung together with NADMA.

(SUMMARY)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the end of our forum. Such a wonderful talks from our great panellists.
There is a lot of knowledge to be taken from, especially about natural disaster management. We
have learnt about the factors, the issues, the phases taken by relevant authorities, and also NADMA,
one of the most important teams that plays a role in managing natural disasters. Ladies and
gentlemen, I hope that this forum has widened our views and increased our awareness about
natural disaster management and preparedness. It is clearly stated that the government, the NGOs,
and the relevant teams had done a wonderful plan in order to manage and prepare for the natural
disasters. In addition, we should also be prepared and know what to do if we are trapped in that
situation.

Be prepared, better safe than sorry, or we will cry over spilt milk. At least, we have lightened the
burden of the rescue team when disasters happened. Stay safe, stay alert, and stay aware of our
surroundings. Thank you for your time.