KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 – Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members whose homes were struck by the recent devastating floods are allowed to withdraw from their Account 2 savings to rebuild their homes or buy new ones. “The withdrawal is allowed if the user’s first house had been sold or there was a disposal of ownership,” it was stated in a press release.
Disposal of ownership means losing a house purchased through the first home EPF withdrawal, due to natural disasters or fire. To qualify for withdrawal for a second home, a member must obtain a confirmation letter from his local council or village head to verify that his house was destroyed during the floods.
“EPF will conduct an evaluation to verify the amount needed to buy or rebuild their house and also check their Account 2 balance.” For further details, members can contact any EPF branch,visit its website www.kwsp.gov.my or call 03-89226000.
Meanwhile Bernama also reported that the flood situation in Sabah, Sarawak and Perak improved tonight with the number of victims placed in evacuation centres reducing, while the number in Kelantan remained at 255 as recorded this afternoon.
Sabah recorded a drop in flood victims with 2,075 tonight compared to 3,505 this afternoon, while in Sarawak, the number went down to 2,563 tonight from 2,846 this afternoon, and in Perak, it went from 77 to 34 tonight. In Sabah, a spokesman for the Beaufort flood operations centre said the number of flood victims placed in four relief centres in the district was 721 from 222 families.
Meanwhile, in the Membakut sub-district, the number of victims in five evacuation centres was down to 1,984 from 579 families from 2,831 from 766 families this afternoon. In Sarawak, a spokesman of the Sarawak National Security Council (NSC) said all the 2,563 flood victims had been placed in 12 evacuation centres with 1,225 in Samarahan, Limbang (1,006), Miri (244) and Mukah (88).
In Perak, a spokesman for the Perak NSC said so far, only one evacuation centre remained open in Hulu Perak where 34 people from 10 families were staying,while the centre in Perak Tengah had been closed tonight and all 43 victims allowed to return home. In Kelantan, a spokesman from the Kelantan NSC said all 255 victims were still staying in school halls, factories and mosques in Kuala Krai as their homes had been swept away and badly destroyed by the floods which hit the district last month.
