Pulau Tikus state assemblywoman Yap Soo Huey, who has been tasked with handling the aid distribution, said 49,533 applications were approved, out of which 46,701 applicants had received the one-off RM700 each.
She said the applicants were given the options of receiving the money through either electronic fund transfer (EFT) or in cash at all five district offices.
“A total of 1,718 applications are still being reviewed. This review has been hampered by problems in contacting the applicants to get information, documents or further explanation.
“Many calls made to the phone numbers provided were unanswered or the applicants who promised to bring the necessary documents have not done so,” she told a press conference today.
Yap urged the affected applicants to check their application documents again and bring the needed documents to the district offices or the service centres immediately.
Of the total number of applications approved, Yap said they also found 2,646 applicants with either incomplete bank account numbers or errors in their application records.
“The state government will channel the aid to these applicants as soon as possible, after their bank account details have been checked and verified,” she said, adding that these applicants made up 6% of all applications approved.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had previously said that the total payout of RM33.4 million was the largest for flood victims in the history of any Malaysian state.
The aid was open to all those who suffered property or vehicular damage in the Nov 4-5 floods. The registration began on Nov 21 and ended on Dec 2.
Their applications were vetted by their respective state assembly members and their offices, district offices, and village security and development committees before approval.
Applicants who want to check their approval status can log on to www.penangbangkit.com.
Over half of Penang was submerged in the floodwaters following hours of torrential rain. More than 6,000 people were evacuated from their homes and seven people died in the disaster.
Authorities said the floods were caused by one-and-a-half month’s amount of rain that fell continuously for 15 hours.
Guan Eng: RM33.4m Penang flood aid payout largest by a Malaysian state