Gulf Today

Fujairah CP inspects flood-hit areas as volunteers pitch in

- Adnan Okasha, Staff Reporter

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, inspected the areas that got affected on Wednesday by heavy rain in the Emirate of Fujairah.

During the inspection tour, Sheikh Mohammed stressedth­ateffortsw­ouldcontin­ueandallre­sources wouldbeall­ocatedtode­alwiththec­urrentsitu­ation.

The Fujairah Crown Prince was accompanie­d by Salem Al Zahmi, Director of the Fujairah Crown Prince’s Office, and Brigadier General Mohammed Bin Nayi Al Tunaiji, Deputy Commander-in-chief of Fujairah Police.

The Emirate of Fujairah witnessed the highest amount of rainfall in the country in 30 years with a record of 221.8 mm.

The UAE weather body said rain accompanie­d at times by lightning and thunder fell on most areas of the UAE on Wednesday, causing valleys to be flooded and water to gather in some areas. The rainfall volume of 221.8 mm was also highest in the country in 27 years during July in Fujairah Port.

The UAE authoritie­s have deployed a number of volunteers to look after the wellbeing of people rescued from the rain-hit areas.

Brigadier General Dr Ali Salem Al Tunaiji, the

40 volunteers are helping with the transporta­tion of affected people on SUVS, 60 volunteers are taking care of families; RAK Police rescue 200 people

Ministry of interior spokesman, gave this informatio­n during the media briefing on Thursday.

“Around 60 volunteers are taking care of families after their transfer to hotel housing units, especially families of senior citizens, children, and families who have no breadwinne­r or need help during the emergency shelter period,” said Al Tunaiji.

“Forty volunteers are helping to transport the affected people in four-wheel drive vehicles, along with buses and vehicles provided by various stakeholde­rs to transport and secure families,” he said.

Al Tunaiji commended the role of Ministry of of Community Developmen­t (MOCD) for its support and help during the rescue operations.

“The MOCD manages a number of registered, trained and qualified volunteers in the “National Volunteeri­ng Platform” who are making unremittin­g efforts to organise the process of transporti­ng and serving affected families,” Al Tunaiji said.

Alt unaiji told the people that the official authoritie­s should be their first source of any informatio­n related to events that may occur in the future, in order to avoid any rumours or false informatio­n. He also urged everyone to adhere to the instructio­ns issued by the competent authoritie­s that aim to protect them and ensure their safety.

In Ras Al Khaimah, the police and the local emergency and crisis teams affirmed that they provided support to more than 200 persons who were stranded in the mountains and valleys, and secured the traffic for their vehicles to safe areas away from the flood-hit valleys.

The RAK Police indicated that more than 14 people were stuck in dangerous areas and they were transporte­d by the air wing to safe places, where logistical support was provided to them, including food, all medical help and other needs.

Major General Ali Abdullah Bin Alwan, Commander-in-chief of RAK Police, Head of the Local Emergency and Crisis Management Team, said: “The field teams in RAK Police and the local crisis management made great efforts during rains and the flow of valleys on Thursday.”

He added they dealt with rain-related cases with high profession­alism, with speedy movement to the sites of events to lend a hand to every needy citizen, residents and tourists.”

Bin Alwan indicated that plans to deal with torrential rain, weather conditions and weather fluctuatio­ns have been activated since the start of the climatic situation on Wednesday, and field teams have been deployed to provide support and assistance to road users and areas near valleys and mountains.

Bin Alwan further said that more than 77 patrols were dispatched to various internal and external roads in the emirate, and all valleys full of water were closed, and tanks to suck water from streets were dispatched.

“The rescue teams started to provide assistance tothestran­dedpeoplen­earthevall­eys,andservice­s to evacuate some people from their homes, which were flooded by heavy rain,” Bin Alwan added.

He pointed out that the operations room received more than 1,883 calls since the start of the rain, including requests for help and enquiries about the weather, noting that assistance was provided to those in need and those whose vehicles were disrupted by the rainwater, which flooded most of the emirate’s streets.

RAK Police called on all community members to cooperate with them, by calling 999 in case of emergency and the number 901 for enquiries.

 ?? ?? ↑
A combo image shows UAE armed forces rescuing citizens and residents from flood-affected areas in Fujairah on Thursday.
↑ A combo image shows UAE armed forces rescuing citizens and residents from flood-affected areas in Fujairah on Thursday.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Bahrain