Fujairah residents return home

Fujairah: Residents in Suhaliah, Kalba, have started o returning home to survey the damage after two days of severe flooding.

Kalba breathed a collective sigh of relief as low tides yesterday ended any threat of further flooding in the area.

Conditions seemed to have improved considerably although police still denied public access to the corniche due to rough seas.

A flood damage assessment committee, which started work yesterday, estimated that damage to infrastructure could run into tens of millions of dirhams.

Damaged public property includes roads, pavements and the recently redeveloped Corniche Park, which was almost completely destroyed.

Corniche park hit hard

Many shopkeepers found most of their merchandise and equipment damaged. Shops directly opposite the Kalba Corniche Park in Suhailah were hit hard as they were the first to suffer from the high waves.

Halima Ali is one of the oldest members of the five families that returned home.

As in many houses hit by the deluge, the worst damage in Halima's house was caused to home furniture and electrical equipment.

Halima said her family decided to stay with relatives rather than in temporary shelters, but she said they returned as soon as it was possible.

"We returned to clean up the mess after water soaked into the carpets and inspect damage to the fridge and washing machine," she said.

Tailor Al Shibyani Bu Selham returned to find custom-tailored dresses ruined and he pegged the damage at thousands of dirhams, but he expects little concern from his customers.

He said: "People don't have any consideration for what has happened. They just call me and say they have a wedding and they want their dresses to be ready ... but it will take us a few days just to clean up and start work again."

Grocery shopkeeper Haider K. says eight coolers in his shop have been damaged, not to mention a smashed shopfront and thousands of dirhams worth of merchandise.