SETIU: There will be an additional immediate allocation of RM25mil each for Kelantan and Terengganu in the wake of the severe floods that have hit them over the last few days, says the Prime Minister.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the Finance Minister, said the funds, channelled through the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department, will be used for repairing and restoring essential infrastructure such as roads and drainage systems, as well as raising road levels in Hulu Besut, Terengganu.
He also announced that the Federal Government has agreed to provide special financial assistance of RM500 to over 14,000 civil servants in Terengganu, involving an allocation of RM7.4mil.
He made the announcements after visiting flood victims at the temporary evacuation centre (PPS) at SK Kampung Telaga Papan, Setiu, which is currently housing 269 evacuees, Bernama reported.
The Prime Minister arrived at Sultan Mahmud International Airport, Kuala Terengganu, at 10.25am yesterday to assess the flood situation in the state.
Earlier, the government allocated approximately RM50mil to assist flood victims in Kelantan and Terengganu through funds from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma); yesterday’s additional allocation is intended for the repair of infrastructure and post-flood work, which is expected to incur high costs.
“For other states, we are monitoring the situation.
“We don’t want any misunderstandings, allocations will follow needs, and I expect the total losses (from the floods) this time could approach RM1bil,” the Prime Minister said.
He also said there was no need to declare an emergency despite the increasingly serious flood situation, especially in Kelantan and Terengganu.
He added that this is because all security teams – including the Malaysian Armed Forces, the police, the Civil Defence Force, the Fire and Rescue Department, and all federal, state, and district machinery – are capable of handling the disaster effectively.
After visiting flood victims at SK Telaga Papan, Anwar also spent about 20 minutes visiting victims at the PPS at SK Mangkuk, which is housing 372 victims.
As of midday yesterday, Terengganu had 42,040 flood victims from 11,352 families, with Besut being the most affected district, with 15,756 victims.
