UAE | Environment

Flood victims count losses

Families displaced by Monday's flash floods in the village of Al Sharm say it could take two weeks and more than Dh100,000 per household before they can move back to their homes.

  • By Fuad Mohammed Ali, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 23:17 March 25, 2009
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Fuad Mohammed Ali/Gulf News
  • Waleed took leave from his job to be with his family during this time. His household consists of 17 members including three families. Some of them are back in Al Sharm.
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Dibba/Al Sharm: Families displaced by Monday's flash floods in the village of Al Sharm say it could take two weeks and more than Dh100,000 per household before they can move back to their homes.

Authorities relocated 20 families whose homes had been flooded to two hotel apartments in Dibba, whilst work to make their water flooded homes fit to live in continued yesterday.

Workers from Fujairah and Dibba Municipalities and the Department of Public Works continued to remove excess mud and water from homes and internal roads.

Work was also carried out to beef-up flood canals which failed to act as a secondary flood protection measure after the main sand barrier was breached.

Some residents, whose homes were flooded, have returned on a daily basis since Monday to supervise the clean-up process of their homes and salvage what they can.

Some flood victims chose to move in with their extended families who live in the unaffected part of the village. The rest of the displaced were rehoused in hotel apartments in Dibba Al Fujairah, which is 20 kilometres from Al Sharm.

Waleed Ali Rashid took leave from his job to be with his family during this time. His household consisted of 17 members including 3 families. Some of them are back in Al Sharm with extended family.

The 23-year-old says the families are comfortable in their new accommodation but they are itching to get back to their homes.

"Charity groups like the Red Crescent and Fujairh Charitable Association have made our lives easier during these events but we are hoping we can go back as soon as possible," he said.

He says the children have continued to go to school, even though some have not got their uniforms or their school books, adding they try to take them out in the evening so they do not get too bored.

Other young men have taken to sitting outside their homes back in the village.

Khalid Ebaid Juma, sits with his friends with tea and Arabic coffee pots to hand, exchanging flood stories and supervising the clean-up operation.

Khalid says it will take on average Dh100,000 to Dh150,000 to recompensate the loss of furniture and electrical equipment not to mention the cars, which were damaged by the water.

The Red Crescent and Civil Defence say they have scaled back some of their operations but will continue to be present on the ground with food distribution and other assistance.

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