KUCHING: The state’s Social Welfare Department (JKMS) has been actively helping the community who have been affected by disasters.
JKMS officer Hangol Katot disclosed that assistance would be channelled to victims affected by fire, flood, storm, soil erosion and drought among others.
He pointed out that the objective of the assistance is to provide temporarily relief to the victims in the form of food basket, clothing, and shelter.
He said this during the second series of webinar on Prompting Community’s Resilience Against Covid-19 Pandemic organised by the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) on Thursday (Aug 26).
“In the event of natural disaster like flood, fire, storm, and soil erosion, the department will help in providing allocation for repair works, cash, food basket for a week, kitchen appliances, daily clothing as well as school uniforms and stationery for students.
“For small businesses that have been affected, they will also receive aid. The assistance aims to relieve the victims’ burden to help them recover back to their normal lives,” he said.
He disclosed that there are five different types of disaster assistance scheme, namely immediate, school, kitchen appliance, shelter and recovery of small businesses.
He noted that JKMS provide assistances according to case basis and following the administrative conditions set by the department.
“For instance, the maximum allocation is RM5,000 for the shelter assistance but it will be given based on the damage percentage of the victim’s house. This is also applicable for small businesses,” he said.
At the same time, Hangol stated that the department has been occupied with providing packed food and food baskets to quarantine centre, low risk quarantine and treatment centres (PKRCs), lockdown areas, home quarantine and SJR (sekatan jalan raya).
He also revealed that a total of RM49,603,694.43 has been spent from January to July this year on food for the frontliners and residents affected by Covid-19.
He added that the Covid-19 pandemic constitutes as a form of disaster too.
