GEORGE TOWN: The one-off RM400 financial aid offered by the state government to flood victims who suffered property damage is not enough to cover losses incurred, affected residents here said.
Abdul Ghafor Abdul Rahman, 52, who lives at Jalan P Ramlee, said the severe flash flooding on Sept 15 was the umpteenth time his house was inundated.
"I have been facing flash floods so frequently lately, and have suffered property damage of more than RM10,000.
"The RM400 payment is a pittance in comparison. And they made the application process so tedious that I think it's not worth applying for the payment," he said when met at his home here.
Another resident at the flood-prone area, T. Tamilchelvy, 34, said the state government should have instead given out payments commensurate to the damage suffered, or at least on a percentage basis, taking into account the household income of and damage suffered by each victim.
“My family and I suffered thousands of ringgit in damages, but we are only going to get RM400 and that is not enough to even repair the structural damage in our house – much less the damage to furniture, electrical appliances and vehicles.
“We are a low-income family and flash floods hit us the worst. The state government should be looking into coming up with a better mechanism and (means of assessment) for making the payment,” she said.
Tan Gaik Lee, 58, a resident of Paya Terubong here, agreed that the RM400 is very little.
“I do not understand the reason behind the RM400 payment, which is too little.
“It feels like the state government is not being sincere, and that this is a gimmick ahead of the general elections,” she said.
Tan said she and her husband are living on her husband’s civil servant pension and that the flash floods had caused serious damage to their house.
“It’s our own house and we were very comfortable with what we had until the massive floods, which damaged much of our furniture, including our kitchen cabinet and electrical appliances.
“Now who is going to pay for the repair works?” she said.