Following last week’s extraordinary rainfall and subsequent floods, the UAE has announced a Dh2 billion fund to help citizens restore their damaged houses. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, termed the recent rains as extraordinary.
According to Khaleej Times, the country’s control rooms received over 200,000 distress calls from citizens, highlighting the widespread damage caused to private structures.
On Tuesday, April 16, the nation received a year’s worth of rain in one day.
The UAE recorded 6.04 billion cubic metres of rainwater in 24 hours, compared to an annual average of 6.7 billion cubic metres.
This deluge caused significant flooding in many communities and houses, resulting in flight cancellations, public transport disruptions and cars becoming trapped on wet highways.
“The severity of the weather situation was unprecedented. But we are a country that learns from every experience and develops itself,” remarked Sheikh Mohammed during a Cabinet meeting in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
More than 17,000 security and emergency services personnel, as well as thousands of volunteers, were sent to deal with the aftermath of the rains.
“Our dams are full, our valleys flowed, and our groundwater reserves swelled. We learned lessons in dealing with severe rains and bolstered our readiness to be better prepared for the future,” added the Vice-President.
Tragically, at least four people died in the floodwaters. One Emirati was killed after his automobile was swept away in a valley, while two Filipinos died from suffocation inside their vehicle during the flood. Another person died in an accident.
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