He added that the slow response on the first day (Saturday) was due to the conditions at the time.

“On the first day, the floodwaters were at a dangerous level.

“But despite the slow start, when (conditions worsened) and the number of those affected went up, the agencies ramped up their efforts to save the victims, even distributing food supplies,” he said at a press conference in Taman Sri Muda today.

Acryl said the police faced demanding conditions while helping victims in Shah Alam due to its high population density.

“The flood victims here live in terrace houses and apartments. Conditions were truly challenging.”

He also said he was unaware of claims that the MERS 999 emergency line was unreachable by flood victims.

“The line is supposed to be available round the clock. I will get more details on this.”

He instructed district police chiefs to allow flood victims to file police reports at their respective temporary flood shelters.

“There were also flood victims who could not leave their homes for some reason. Police teams were mobilised to find them.”