Us$544mil for rain repairs

Emirati families to receive funding to aid flood recovery efforts

The United Arab Emirates announced Us$544mil (Rm2.6bil) to repair the homes of Emirati families after last week’s record rains caused widespread flooding and brought the oil-rich Gulf state to a standstill.

“We learnt great lessons in dealing with severe rains,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-maktoum after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, adding that ministers approved “two billion dirhams to deal with damage to the homes of citizens”.

Wednesday’s announcement comes more than a week after the unprecedented deluge lashed the desert country, turning streets into rivers and hobbling Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international passengers.

“A ministerial committee was assigned to follow up on this file ... and disburse compensation in cooperation with the rest of the federal and local authorities,” said Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai, which was one of the worst hit of the UAE’S seven sheikhdoms.

The rainfall, the UAE’S heaviest since records began 75 years ago, killed at least four people, including three Filipino workers and one Emirati.

“The situation was unprecedented in its severity but we are a country that learns from every experience,” said Sheikh Mohammed on X.

Climatologist Friederike Otto, a specialist in assessing the role of global warming on extreme weather events, said it was “highly likely” that the rainfall “was made heavier by humancaused climate change”.

The storm first landed in Oman on April 14, where it killed at least 21 people, according to the official Oman News Agency.

It then battered the UAE, dumping up to two years’ worth of rain on the federal monarchy with a 90% expatriate population before subsiding last Wednesday.

But the glam-hub of Dubai faced severe disruption for days later, with water-clogged roads and flooded homes. Dubai airport cancelled 2,155 flights, diverted 115 and did not return to full capacity until Tuesday.