Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today urged those who have not claimed the RM700 flood aid payment from the state to update their applications as soon as possible.

Speaking at a press conference in Komtar today, Lim stated that the aid has been given out to most of the 49,533 victims of the disastrous floods on Nov 4 and 5 last year, which killed seven and inundated about 80 percent of the state.

However, he noted that a small minority of those registered to receive the aid, or 2,754 victims, have yet to claim the payment.

"We will immediately pay out the money to them after their details are updated," Lim said, adding that their details can be updated in the state’s District and Land Offices.

Lim also took the federal government to task again for allegedly holding back funds for flood mitigation in Penang.

"The RM700 aid from the Penang government is the biggest aid payment in the history of Malaysia.

"However, we who are flood victims, are still awaiting the allocation from the federal government for  flood mitigation projects," he said.

In the wake of the floods last year, Lim had grilled Putrajaya on why it provided the least amount of flood aid to Penang compared to other states in the country.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the amount of allocation needed for long-term flood mitigation in the state would amount to about RM1 billion, adding that RM150 million had previously been approved. 

At the same press conference, Pulau Tikus assemblyperson Yap Soo Huey said incomplete application forms and errors therein are among the reasons why some applicants cannot obtain the aid.

"The 2,754 are among six percent of applicants whose application for the aid had been approved by the Penang government," Yap said.

"A total of 186 people who chose the aid in cash but have not obtained it, need to wait for a fresh letter of notification to be sent to their homes," Yap said at the same press conference.