BINTULU: In the aftermath of a severe storm, immediate assistance, including repair work, will be provided to all 17 houses in six blocks of the Iris Garden apartment complex at Sultan Iskandar road here.
In a statement, Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said that government agencies are actively involved in offering support to alleviate the hardships faced by the residents, whose homes were rendered uninhabitable due to the storm.
During the incident, which occurred at 2 pm on Thursday, 47 families, totalling 184 residents in the Iris Garden apartment, were significantly impacted.
Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported. Currently, five families have been temporarily accommodated at the Temporary Transfer Centre (TTC) of the Assyakirin Phase 1 Village Hall, operational since 4 pm on Thursday.
Tiong noted that the storm, which caused considerable damage to the roofs of the six apartment blocks on Thursday afternoon, has drawn prompt attention from both federal and state leadership.
He mentioned that he had communicated the situation to Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for further action.
Additionally, he had sought aid from the Prime Minister’s Department of Disaster Management (NADMA).
Tiong expressed his gratitude towards the leaders for their quick response in easing bureaucratic processes, enabling relevant agencies to provide immediate on-site assistance including relocating the affected residents to the temporary relief centre (PPS).
He also extended his thanks to Deputy Premier and Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, as well as Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, for their efforts in expediting the relief process.
Earlier this morning (Jan 19), Tiong led a special meeting of the Bintulu Disaster Management Committee to discuss on coordinating preparations for northeast monsoon disasters and flash floods.
He said that the committee is in the process of gathering all relevant information and data to guide their follow-up actions.
