Malaysia could be hit by typhoon

The changing global weather pattern has resulted in typhoons moving further south which has increased the possibility of Malaysia being in the path of one. However, there are no measures in place to cope with the after effects of a typhoon in Malaysia. A water-related disaster expert attached to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Dr Ti Lee Hui noted that climatic changes in recent years have been erratic, with more typhoon activity recorded in southern Asia. "Typhoons used to be confined around Japan, but in recent times more high-velocity typhoons have moved towards Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines, and there is a high probability that Malaysia may be hit in the future," he said at the International Workshop on Risk Management: Socio-Economic Impact Assess-ment of Typhoon-Related Disasters and Management Towards Millennium Development Goals. Natural Resources and Environment Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah, who opened the workshop, admitted that Malaysia was not prepared to deal with typhoons. "We are not ready in terms of building design as current building bylaws did not take into consideration the effects of withstanding natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons," he said. The Asian region had seen an average of 10 to 20 typhoons a year. Meanwhile, Drainage and Irrigation Department director-general Datuk Keizrul Abdullah said Malaysia will establish a Debris and Mudflow Warning system next year which will use satellite technology to monitor rainfall patterns and identify the topography and geology of mudslide-prone areas. "With the system, we hoped to minimise the loss of lives and damages," he said.