SETIU, Dec 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced an additional immediate allocation for Kelantan and Terengganu, with RM25 million for each state, in the wake of the severe floods.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said the funds, channelled through the Prime Minister's Department's Implementation Coordination Unit, will be used to repair essential infrastructure including roads and drainage systems, as well as raising road levels in Hulu Besut.
The Federal Government has also agreed to provide a RM500 special financial assistance to over 14,000 civil servants in Terengganu, involving a RM7.4 million allocation.
He made the announcements after visiting flood victims at the temporary relief centre (PPS) at Sk Kampung Telaga Papan in Setiu, which currently houses 269 evacuees.
The Prime Minister had earlier arrived at Sultan Mahmud International Airport, Kuala Terengganu at 10.25am today to personally assess the current flood situation in the state.
Earlier, the Federal government allocated approximately RM50 million to assist flood victims in Kelantan and Terengganu through the National Disaster Management Agency's funds, and today's additional allocation is intended to repair infrastructure and post-flood work, which is expected to incur high costs.
"For other states, we are monitoring the situation. We do not want any misunderstandings… allocations will follow needs, and I expect the total losses (in the flood in affected states) this time could approach RM1 billion," Anwar said.
Meanwhile, he said there is no need to declare an emergency, despite the increasingly serious flood situation, especially in Kelantan and Terengganu.
This is because all security teams, including the Malaysian Armed Forces, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), the Civil Defence Force, the Fire and Rescue Department, and all Federal, state, and district machinery are capable of handling the disaster effectively.
"Therefore, there is no need at all to declare a state of emergency," Anwar said.
After visiting flood victims at SK Telaga Papan, Anwar also spent about 20 minutes visiting victims at the PPS at SK Mangkuk, also in Setiu, which houses 372 victims.
As of 12pm today, Terengganu recorded 42,040 flood victims from 11,352 families, with Besut being the most affected district, with 15,756 victims.
— Bernama
