Khor Fakkan: Friday night wreaked havoc in a Khor Fakkan neighbourhood, with floodwaters entering residents’ homes, reportedly killing livestock and inundating roads.
Residents of Mudaifi locality said heavy rain lashed their area for “only 20 minutes” but they expected recovery will take weeks in some cases.
Some said they had to push against the main doors to stop floodwaters from bursting in.
Residents could be seen clearing out mud and water from their rooms even as late as Sunday evening. They reported property damage worth tens of thousands of dirhams.
The streets were littered with furniture and other belongings destroyed in the rains. Orange municipality trucks and workers tended to the affected homes in several streets.
Other areas had still not received any help, a number of residents said.
It is understood the deluge rushed down the slopes of mountains straddling the area, carrying along huge amounts of soil and mud before filling the roads and houses.
“Never in my 40 years have I seen anything like it. The rains turned our lives upside down,” said Ali Azzan, an Emirati grandfather in his 80s.
His family of 18 members has moved to relatives’ homes in other emirates. But Azzan and his wife stayed back to salvage what they could.
“We have a few clothes left. All the furniture in every room is damaged. There was mud everywhere, not a dry spot was left.”
Azzan estimates repairs will cost “well over Dh100,000”.
Another resident, Ali Ahmad, said he stood pushing against the front door of his villa “to stop it from breaking”.
But he was no match for the gushing surge, and reported damage upwards of Dh30,000.
“The carpets, storeroom with lots of food, air-conditioning system, three fridges — they’re all gone. I think the hail broke parts of the roof; the water came in through the ceiling as well,” said Ahmad.
He said he called civil defence and municipality officials for help but they told him to wait for a day or two as “there are too many people to respond to”.
According to two residents, the flooding was made worse as a natural wadi that used to divert rainwater “has been closed off” to make room for roads and infrastructure.
“This has never happened before. There were problems during downpours, but nothing so bad. It only lasted 20 minutes but did damage that’ll take weeks to clear up.”
A local stadium — Al Khaleej Sports Club — was turned into “a sea”, said its manager, Abdullah Al Hosani. He estimated Dh1.5 million worth of damage.
“The water was almost knee-high, and it went everywhere — in the players’ changing rooms, VIP area, offices, prayer halls. The field looks like a sea,” Al Hosani said.
“Nothing [no sports] will take place here for a month I think. The municipality has placed one pump to take out the water. I don’t think that’s going to make any difference.”
Residents and construction workers said a number of goats had died. A witness said “around 100” were lying dead near a ladies’ park. Other said “a few” had died in the stormy night.
Several streets have been closed off by authorities — or by huge deposits of mud.
Businesses too have been hit hard. On one street alone, a typing centre, supermarket, and restaurant were closed as staff cleared up the mess.
“We’ve lost Dh50,000 [in damaged goods] easy,” said an Indian supermarket employer.
“The water came in so strong it shattered the glass doors. Then the mud buried the ground, like everything sunk in,” he added.
The receding waterline level has left a mark on virtually every structure, and the drying mud turns into sweeping dust as the winds kick it up.
