DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang wants Putrajaya's assurance that a state of emergency is declared for all major disasters in the future.

He said procedures on deciding whether to call a state of emergency needs a review given the failure to do so when floods displaced 200,000 people in the east coast last month.

Flood relief efforts could have been handled better if a state of emergency was declared in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perak, he said.

"In such circumstances, the death toll would not be 23, the number of flood victims not as massive…and the losses in the gargantuan figure of billions of ringgit," Lim said.

The Gelang Patah MP said such a declaration could have also helped the health ministry, who had to scramble to get patients out of flood-hit hospitals which were out of food, water and fuel to power generators.

"Why a state of emergency had not been declared to direct all available helicopters and boats belonging to all agencies to be dispatched to the flood-stricken areas to save lives, evacuate flood victims and provide essential services and supplies?" he asked.

A doctor were forced to intubate an infant in the dark at worst-hit Hospital Kuala Krai before help a day after, while doctor in Dabong penned harrowing logs from a government clinic there.

The Health Ministry estimates resconstructin and repairs to cost about RM1 billion.

Lim also questioned the contradicting claim by Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan that Putrajaya spent RM 800million through the National Security Council (NSC) to aid flood victims. 

"If the federal government bill was already spending RM800 million on Jan 5 to provide food supply, logistics and cleaning houses of flood victims, what is the bill today on January 14?" he asked.