PENAMPANG: The Sabah government will allocate RM1,000 in aid to each family seeking shelter at the Penampang Cultural Centre here.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state and federal governments were concerned about those affected by flash floods and would help all victims.
"The state government sympathises with their plight, so we are prepared to give an emergency cash assistance of RM1,000 to each family at the Penampang Cultural Centre.
"The federal government, through Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick, who is Penampang member of parliament, will also lend a hand," he said after visiting the disaster relief centre here.
Hajiji said he had instructed all local authorities in the state to be on high alert due to the rainy season.
"Make sure all drains are cleared. Do not wait until it rains before taking action. We need to focus on mitigation and must be prepared at all times,"
District officer Francis Chong briefed the chief minister that currently, 67 families comprising 165 people were seeking refuge at the temporary shelter since its activation at 5.25 pm yesterday.
The chief minister was also told that 11 villages in the Penampang district had been inundated.
A 37-year-old woman died after being swept by strong currents near the roundabout in Donggongon during the flash floods.