He said Putrajaya should offer help and aid without Malaysians asking for it.
“The people who are faced with devastating material losses and misery are fellow Malaysians and part of the prime minister’s Keluarga Malaysia.
“But I haven’t heard a squeak from Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob or his Cabinet.
“We need urgent intervention in terms of food and other essentials. And we certainly need the works ministry to cough up RM6 million to clear the drains in Klang and about RM50 million to repair potholes,” he said in a statement.
Santiago said the Public Works Department (JKR) needed to renegotiate its present concession agreement to clean drains weekly instead of just once in six months.
Rain since yesterday was reported to have caused widespread floods in Selangor where 3,086 flood victims have been evacuated to 30 relief centres in Klang, Kuala Langat and Sepang.
Santiago said rainfall had been heavy, with Pandamaran clocking 334mm, Telok Gong 362.5mm and Selat Muara 380.5 mm.
He said the expected rainfall for December was supposed to be only 215mm at these places.
“Anticipating such occurrences due to climate change and other reasons, I had raised this issue of potholes and drains in Parliament and requested for extra funds to find a durable solution,” he said.
Many roads have been flooded due to the rain. Many low-lying areas have been flooded. This included two police stations which were badly hit.
The floods have also forced animals to seek higher ground.
Tortoises, snakes and monitor lizards have also crept into flooded homes.
Floods have also affected areas in other states. In Melaka, police in Alor Gajah confirmed that floodwaters had badly affected the Lubok China police station.
In a Facebook post, the Alor Gajah police said non-stop rain had caused a river nearby to flood the town.
Bernama reported that the Malaysian Meteorological Services Department had issued a bad weather warning of continuous heavy rain until tomorrow for Kelantan and Pahang.
It warned that the worst affected area would be Gua Musang in Kelantan. In Pahang, Cameron Highlands, Lipis, Jerantut, Maran and Kuantan are also expected to experience heavy rainfall.
It also issued a rainstorm warning for Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka.
Bernama also reported that the Port Klang Authority operations at warehouses and container depots in the surrounding areas had been adversely affected and were worsened by damage to access roads.
The port authority has urged terminal operators, forwarding agents, haulier companies and government agencies in charge of clearing of goods to work together and ensure goods reach their intended destinations on time.