SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will start distributing RM1,000 flood assistance, through the Selangor Bangkit initiative, to more than 9,000 affected families, starting Wednesday, said Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

He said the aid will be distributed in stages, which would start with the first category, namely those who were evacuated to temporary evacuation centres (PPS) under the operation of the state and federal governments.

Amirudin said it will be followed by the victims in the second category, namely those who evacuated to PPS run by private entities.

"Those who are housed in public and private PPS, their names have been registered, their identity card numbers are already available. All this does not require re-registration," he said in a special press conference on the development of floods in Selangor today.

Amirudin said for the third category, namely those who did not relocate, the state government would create a one-stop centre and mobilise the Selangor Volunteer Organisation (SERVE) to go from house to house to get the names of those involved, starting January 3, 2022.

"We have 9,000 more families, and I expect with (families who did not evacuate to PPS), that there will be an increase to between 15,000 and 20,000 families affected by the floods," he said.

Amirudin said starting tomorrow, the state government would also identify families of those who died in the floods, to distribute RM10,000 aid under the same initiative.

Meanwhile, he said the state government had cancelled the new year's eve celebrations planned earlier, and these would be replaced with 'tahlil' and 'zikir munajat' at all state mosques, to be conducted by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS).

Amirudin also advised companies and individuals to cancel their new year celebrations as a sign of respect and sympathy with the victims of the floods that have hit the state since Dec 18, which have resulted in 25 deaths in Selangor thus far.

- BERNAMA