S'gor to provide aid to 508 households affected by storm

The Selangor government will provide immediate relief to the residents of Sabak Bernam, Sungai Besar and Sekinchan who were affected by a storm last night.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the district had identified 508 houses in the area that had been damaged by the storm.

"Currently, the district office has provided an initial grant of RM500 for each house and further assistance is expected to be delivered within a week.

Amirudin added assistance would be provided by relevant government agencies including the Selangor Zakat Board and the Selangor Welfare Department.

"For those who are not on the list of beneficiaries of this agency, the state government will channel aid to them using the provisions of the state government," he said.

The Selangor Fire and Rescue Department received 13 emergency calls in the wake of last night's storm.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department's assistant operations director Hafisham Mohd Noor said the department received calls on fallen trees and about the damage to several houses around Sabar Bernam, Sungai Besar and Sekinchan.

"In Sabak Bernam, we received seven calls involving fallen trees that hit the houses of the villagers, while the gate at the entrance to the Kampung Nelayan Bagan Nakhoda Omar also collapsed in the violent storm last night.

"In Sungai Besar, we received four calls, three of which were about trees that crashed on houses, and in Sekinchan, only two calls about fallen trees," he said in a statement here today.

He said that the department received the emergency calls between 8.30 am and 12.30 pm today.

"Works to clear of the branches of the fallen trees were completed by about 2 pm," he said.

A Selangor Disaster Management Unit spokesperson said staffers at the Parit Baru Health Clinic in Sabak Bernam were also affected by the storm last night.

"Some of the roofs were ripped off due to strong winds yesterday, but no one was hurt," he said.

He added that they were currently assessing the number of houses damaged during last night's storm.

- Bernama