KUANTAN, Dec 5 — The Sultan of Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah went down to the ground today to visit evacuees of Pahang’s worst floods in decades and assured them that priority was being given to their needs.
“The state government is working hard to help all the affected people,” he told reporters after calling at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (C) Chung Ching which has been turned into a relief centre for more than 4,000 evacuees.
The sultan also visited two other relief centres, namely Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Isap and Wisma Belia.
He said he was saddened to see all the helpless people gathered at the relief centres, but added that there was little man could do against the act of nature.
Sultan Ahmad Shah said he was satisfied with the aid extended to the flood victims by the federal and state governments as well as the private sector and individuals.
He also expressed sadness over the disappearance of a man and his son who are feared to have drowned after they fell into the fast-flowing floodwaters in a Sungai Isap village yesterday.
Jamali Jani, 45, a Pekan Umno committee member, and his son, Megat Mohd Nazli, 17, went missing at 7.30 pm when they were transferring household goods into a fibreglass boat.
A spokesman of the Pahang Police flood operations room said 38,323 people had been evacuated to 122 relief centres in the seven districts struck by the floods.
Kuantan is the worst-hit district, with 30,307 people being housed at 85 relief centres. Rompin district has 4,289 people at relief centres; Pekan, 3,037; Maran, 637; Jerantut, 25; Lipis, 21 and Temerloh, seven. — Bernama
