JITRA: The powerful storm which lashed northern states of the peninsula on Friday caused damage to 1,358 homes in Kedah alone, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir revealed today (Aug 11).
He said the worst-affected district is Kuala Muda, where 400 residences were damaged, followed by Kota Setar, where 200 houses suffered varying degrees of destruction, Bernama reported.
Mukhriz said that the state government will provide assistance to Kedahans to repair their damaged houses, but stressed that federal government aid may be sought, as the cost of the storm’s destruction is substantial.
“We will have to assess the damage before channelling aid to affected families.
“But based on our observation of the extent of the damage (today), handing out RM1,000 to RM2,000 (to each family) may not be sufficient,” he said, adding that the state government will discuss the matter with Putrajaya soon.
Nevertheless, a cash aid of RM300 has already been disbursed to the worst-affected victims, and the Social Welfare Department is providing assistance to those in need.
The storm, which constituted the tail end of Typhoon Lekima – currently battering eastern China – killed one person in Kubang Pasu and injured 39 others across the state.