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TUESDAY night's torrential downpour brought on a barrage of flash floods and landslides, which are now coined as some of the worst to hit the Sultanate since the turn of the new millennium. Two people lost their lives that evening and the country's commercial hub was left in darkness for days, causing many businesses to close. International media caught wind of the situation and news quickly spread that Brunei had experienced a natural disaster.
Rescue and recovery services were dispatched following the incident, with relief efforts spearheaded and coordinated by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC). Police, firemen and other government agencies worked tirelessly round the clock to bring Brunei back to normal.
Although their efforts are acknowledged and greatly appreciated, the question still hangs in the air as to why and how did such a calamity leave Brunei on its back heels, struggling to prop itself back up?
Electrical supply was only fully restored to the affected areas as of early yesterday morning, which means that some parts of the Sultanate were without electricity for more than three days. These problems could have been reduced if there were better preparations made beforehand. So why weren't there any? It is not the first time that the nation has experienced such a natural phenomena. Floods wrecked havoc in the Temburong district in February 2008. Shouldn't we have learned our lesson since then and implemented a sound strategy for disaster preparedness?
In His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's titah on national day in 2007, His Majesty said that we should not forget that natural disasters often occur. Thus, he called on the nation to always remain alert for any eventuality.
During a workshop on disaster preparedness, the NDMC director, Yahya Hj Abdul Rahman, himself said, "at least two flood disaster events will occur in the period of one year". The NDMC director had predicted that the threat of a flood disaster was imminent and yet the action taken in response to the most recent incident has sparked public outcry, demanding answers as to why recovery took so long.
From a past report published by The Brunei Times, some members of the public have questioned whether a contingency plan had been drawn up in cases of such emergencies. If there was, it should have been shared with the public to ensure that they know what to do during these incidences.
A public advisory should also have been broadcasted on television and radio that night to warn the public. Motorists provided updates of affected areas to radio stations, but there was no formal announcement made by the authorities to inform the public of the situation.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Dewa Pahlawan Dato Paduka Hj Dani Hj Ibrahim once said that disaster prevention is one aspect which needs to be given serious attention by all parties.
It seems as though his call was unheeded, as the authorities were simply just not ready to cope with the the disaster which struck last week. We should have not have been complacent in thinking floods of this magnitude could not possibly strike the heart of Brunei, a nation proud that it is shielded from major disasters. The warnings of high tide occurrences should have spurred on necessary preparations in anticipation of a disaster. Even if the disaster was considered unlikely to happen, there should have been a contingency plan, nonetheless. We should be ready for any eventuality, regardless of the probability of it happening.
We have not yet escaped this storm, as high tide and heavy rains still persist. And thus, the threat of a repetition of Tuesday night is still the worry of many. It was fortunate that there was minimal loss of life, but would we be so lucky the next time?
It is high time for the authorities to take concrete action to ensure that Brunei is well prepared to handle any disaster or we will all have to face the consequences if we don't.
Rescue and recovery services were dispatched following the incident, with relief efforts spearheaded and coordinated by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC). Police, firemen and other government agencies worked tirelessly round the clock to bring Brunei back to normal.
Although their efforts are acknowledged and greatly appreciated, the question still hangs in the air as to why and how did such a calamity leave Brunei on its back heels, struggling to prop itself back up?
Electrical supply was only fully restored to the affected areas as of early yesterday morning, which means that some parts of the Sultanate were without electricity for more than three days. These problems could have been reduced if there were better preparations made beforehand. So why weren't there any? It is not the first time that the nation has experienced such a natural phenomena. Floods wrecked havoc in the Temburong district in February 2008. Shouldn't we have learned our lesson since then and implemented a sound strategy for disaster preparedness?
In His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's titah on national day in 2007, His Majesty said that we should not forget that natural disasters often occur. Thus, he called on the nation to always remain alert for any eventuality.
During a workshop on disaster preparedness, the NDMC director, Yahya Hj Abdul Rahman, himself said, "at least two flood disaster events will occur in the period of one year". The NDMC director had predicted that the threat of a flood disaster was imminent and yet the action taken in response to the most recent incident has sparked public outcry, demanding answers as to why recovery took so long.
From a past report published by The Brunei Times, some members of the public have questioned whether a contingency plan had been drawn up in cases of such emergencies. If there was, it should have been shared with the public to ensure that they know what to do during these incidences.
A public advisory should also have been broadcasted on television and radio that night to warn the public. Motorists provided updates of affected areas to radio stations, but there was no formal announcement made by the authorities to inform the public of the situation.
Home Affairs Deputy Minister Pehin Orang Kaya Dewa Pahlawan Dato Paduka Hj Dani Hj Ibrahim once said that disaster prevention is one aspect which needs to be given serious attention by all parties.
It seems as though his call was unheeded, as the authorities were simply just not ready to cope with the the disaster which struck last week. We should have not have been complacent in thinking floods of this magnitude could not possibly strike the heart of Brunei, a nation proud that it is shielded from major disasters. The warnings of high tide occurrences should have spurred on necessary preparations in anticipation of a disaster. Even if the disaster was considered unlikely to happen, there should have been a contingency plan, nonetheless. We should be ready for any eventuality, regardless of the probability of it happening.
We have not yet escaped this storm, as high tide and heavy rains still persist. And thus, the threat of a repetition of Tuesday night is still the worry of many. It was fortunate that there was minimal loss of life, but would we be so lucky the next time?
It is high time for the authorities to take concrete action to ensure that Brunei is well prepared to handle any disaster or we will all have to face the consequences if we don't.
