Flooded areas showing signs of recovery, aid for evacuees continues to flow in

KUALA LUMPUR: The flood disaster in the country is showing signs of recovery as evacuees in Terengganu and Perak have been allowed to return to their homes yesterday, with aid being channelled continuously from various parties to alleviate their burden.

The recovery in the two states is marked by the closure of all relief centres and the return of evacuees to their homes.

The situation in Pahang and Kelantan is also improving with the number of evacuees in both states dropping, but floods in Johor, however, continued to worsen, with the number of evacuees at 42 relief centres increasing, and Kluang being the latest district to be flooded.

Fortunately, the plight of those affected by the floods have received attention from various parties, including Public Bank Bhd, which has offered loans and financial aid to customers who are affected by the recent floods in the state.

The bank said in a statement yesterday that the aid would include the suspension of monthly loan repayments of up to six months based on the customer’s request. It includes loan facilities such as home financing, hire and purchase and credit card services for all customers, as well as loans and financing for small and medium enterprises.

Public Bank also is exempting banking-related document replacement charges, including bank books, bank cards and cheques destroyed or missing due to floods.

In addition, the General Insurance Association Of Malaysia (PIAM) has assured flood victims who have flood insurance, that its associate companies are ready to expedite the process of claims and damage payments due to floods.

PIAM associate firms will process all flood-related claims with the condition that flooding is a covered disaster, without taking into consideration whether an emergency was declared, and are committed to speed up flood claim settlements by contacting those who have filed a claim. They are also ready to waive the need to submit a claim form and supporting documents to shorten the processing duration.

In addition, engineering contractor, China Communications Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd (CCC-ECRL), a key player in the East Coast Rail Line, has prepared transport and food supplies to flood relief centres as well as workforce and machinery, including excavators, to assist with the clean-up of Maran town.

Meanwhile, the Pahang government yesterday received donations of 18,000 packs of rice worth RM241,000 from the Kedah Zakat Board to aid the flood victims in the state.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a bad weather warning for today with heavy rain expected in Maran, Kuantan, Bera, Pekan and Rompin in Pahang, Segamat, Kluang, Mersing, Pontian, Kulai, Kota Tinggi dan Johor Bahru in Johor, as well as Sarawak and Sabah.

-- BERNAMA