Storm clouds gather
Victims of flooding in Fujairah shocked by speed of the deluge
Dark clouds hover as Saeed Al Khudairi works at his camel farm at Ghashaba village in Al Ain. Fujairah floods,
“We didn’t have time to put shoes on or wear a scarf,” said Jawaher Al Bloushi, 21, who was with her family at their Al Sharia house in Fujairah, when the flash floods hit on Sunday.
“The water came in suddenly so we rushed to carry the children to safety.”
Twenty five houses were evacuated in the area and about 600 people were affected by the floods that followed a weekend of hail and heavy rain across the country.
Families were fed by the Emirates Red Crescent and sheltered at Asem bin Thabit School in Sakamkam after houses were destroyed by the floods.
Twenty people were at Ms Al Bloushi’s house, eight of them children aged between one and 15.
“The men tried to take the water out using buckets but with no hope,” the Comoros Island passport holder said. “It was unstoppable.”
“It was a real nightmare,” said Hussain Said, 47, a Pakistani who was at his house with six family members. “The water came suddenly from everywhere and it even came out from the drain.
“We tried to take the water out but it kept coming in and rose until it covered half of our bodies. It started to rain early in the morning but the water came about 11am from the nearby mountain.
“It has never happened before and we were all shocked and didn’t have time to take any of our belongings or passports.”
The heavy rain caused water levels to rise suddenly by more than a metre in some residential areas, damaging properties and cars.
Mr Said and his family left their house and stayed in the car, waiting for a rescue team.
“I took my two grandchildren, aged 1 and 2, to the car and the rest of the family followed us,” he said.
“We waited for the rescue team there and saw our stuff floating in front of us and we couldn’t do anything.”
Eventually, Fujairah police and civil defence teams in boats rescued the family.
“After that we were moved to the school where they provided us with food, blankets and a place to sleep,” Mr Said said.
“We don’t know what will happen or how we will go back to our house. Nothing is left there and we don’t have money to cover the loss.
Hanifa Ali, 60, a Pakistani mother of four, was preparing for her son’s wedding before the flood.
“We bought new furniture for him, electronics, clothes and all the stuff he needed to get married. The water came and took everything,” she said.
“For three years I have been waiting and preparing for this moment but now everything is gone.
“I lost more than Dh400,000 in the storm and I don’t know what to do. It’s something out of hand but we count on our leaders’ generosity and help.”
Brig Mohammed Al Kaabi, commander-in-chief of Fujairah Police, said no casualties were reported during the evacuation.
“The families were evacuated by Fujairah police and the Civil Defence Department,” Brig Al Kaabi said.
“They were relocated in collaboration with Fujairah welfare association and the community police department.”
Meanwhile, 140 affected people in Al Ain city and 48 in Kalba were also moved to safety. They have been checked into hotels.
Emirates Red Crescent is collaborating with all of the relevant state departments, including the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, Civil Defence, police departments and other agencies to provide support.
The charity’s teams have also provided psychological and moral support to the affected families.
An emergency room was set up three days ago by its general secretariat and branches after warnings of unstable climatic conditions from the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology.
It has never happened before and we were all shocked and didn’t have time to take any of our belongings or passports HUSSAIN SAID Fujairah resident