Abstract

Dam disaster occurrences are an unexpected eventthat occurs suddenly without warning. It has become veryalarming, resulting in a catastrophic break followed by a floodwave at high speed with considerable loss of life andcatastrophic damages to infrastructure and the environment.Given these circumstances, the community preparedness fordisaster risk reduction (DRR) is important to strengthendisaster response strategies. It helps the community tounderstand the situations to face disaster and interact withpresent conditions with efficient manners. The research aims toinvestigate the community awareness and preparedness and theeffectiveness of the DRR program toward dam-related disaster.In this research, two dams in Cameron Highland have beenselected as sites study: Sultan Abu Bakar (SAB) HydroelectricScheme and its vicinity in Lembah Bertam; and Susu Dam andits vicinity in Pos Telanok. The research utilised questionnairesurveys as a data collection method, where Statistical PackageSoftware SPSS Version 25 was used to analyse data. The findingindicates that an integrated community-based program is aneffective approach to increase people's preparedness for thedisaster. The result can assist local agencies and dam owners informulating strategies for future DRR programs. Identifyingthese pertinent factors enables a greater understanding of thecommunity's preparedness for disaster risk reduction (DRR) inboth dams of Cameron Highlands.