Families affected by Bintulu storm to receive RM1,000 financial aid, says Tiong

BINTULU (Jan 20): Every family affected by the storm on Friday will receive financial aid of RM1,000, said Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.

He said the recipients are based on the records from the Social Welfare Department and the Bintulu Parliamentary Service Centre will facilitate in the distribution of the aid.

Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP, said this after chairing a meeting yesterday at the Bintulu Resident Office to discuss the storm which hit Bintulu.

He added the financial aid will help the affected families buy necessities, especially to repair damages caused by the storm.

After the meeting, Tiong inspected the cleaning and repairs on the damaged roof of Iris Garden Apartment.

He also mentioned that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi are looking into providing the necessary assistance, especially from the National Disaster Management Agency.

Tiong also expressed his appreciation and gratitude to Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is also chairman of the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee, and Deputy State Secretary Datu Buckland Bangik for their swift action in expediting the aid process for all affected victims.

“I also greatly appreciate the swift response from Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli who understood the situation was unexpected, and thus expedited the allocation approval to start the cleaning and repair process of the affected apartment roof and other affected housing so all the victims can return home as soon as possible,” he said.