Guan Eng launches campaign to entice volunteers in Penang cleanup efforts

GEORGE TOWN: Penang has launched a campaign to entice volunteers to sign up for a massive "gotong-royong" campaign to enable the state to bounce back from the devastating rain storm and floods.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng launched the campaign both on the island and mainland sides with a clarion call to the young and the able to help those aggrieved by the floods to get back on their feet.
He said that there were many obstacles in the way due to the sheer after effects of the floods; from debris and mud leftovers to stalled cars and fallen trees besides the financial losses incurred by the victims.
Last weekend's floods inundated 80% of Penang, and caused at one time up to 9,000 people to be resettled in some 400 flood relief centres.
But with generally good weather over the last seven days, there is a sense of normalcy returning to Penang although there is a weather forecast predicting thunderstorms in many parts of the country.
As of 9am, 566 people from 147 families remained marooned in four relief centres where among the hardest hit was SK Lahar Looi in Tasek Gelugor where the 300 primary schoolchildren lost literally everything – textbooks, stationaries and their classrooms were badly damaged.
The school principal Mohamad Asri said the school welcomes any aid to help ease the burden faced by the families of the students.
Civil societies were up in full force to dispense aid to the victims and to help in the clean up for the worst floods to inundate Penang in decades.
Among those out doing a job, was the national aid group – Mercy Malaysia, who besides offering free healthcare services, are also rounding up volunteers to help in the clean up of homes.
The Centre to Combat Corruption Corruption & Cronyism (C4 Center) northern region coordinator K. Sudhagaran Stanley also pointed out that the floods had not only disrupted the lives of the local residents but foreigners as well.
Stanley said that among those worst hit were the Burmese Rohingya refugees, who have been granted temporary residences here by the United Nations Commission on Refugees.
Stanley said their temporary quarters in Butterworth, was damaged by the surging flood waters.
"It is a double whammy for them. First, they have lost their homes in their homeland of Myanmar and here, they have suffered damages to their temporary homes. Their plight needs attention," said Stanley.
He too welcomes any aid which can come in handy for those affected.
He also reminded the state government that the flood waters do not differentiate – it inundates everybody's home in its path.