Freak storm: All victims will receive aid from state govt - MB

IPOH: The Perak government has given its assurance that all victims of the recent freak storm will receive the RM300 compassionate money and house repair assistance as announced last Monday.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said he would look into the matter with the Kinta district officer to see if there was a need to increase the allocation following claims by some victims that they did not receive the money.

"When announcing the aid, I mentioned that a total of 219 houses were affected, so I informed the district officer to provide enough money on that day but the figure may have increased.

"However, I will contact the district officer to find out more about this," he told reporters after attending the Chinese New Year celebration organised by the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCCI) here today.

On Jan 31, Saarani announced that the victims in Taman Desa Seri Chepor; Kampung Tawas; Taman Tasek Damai and Kampung Seri Klebang Tambahan Jaya here will receive financial assistance of RM1,300 each.

This includes initial compassionate money of RM300 to each household and the state government will also appoint contractors to repair their houses as soon as possible.

He also said the remaining RM1,000 from the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) would be disbursed to the victims soon.

Last Sunday, hundreds of houses in the four areas were damaged when a tornado-like storm hit at about 6 pm. It also caused electricity poles to topple and about 100 trees uprooted but no injuries or casualties were reported.

-- BERNAMA