JEDDAH: Search, rescue and recovery operations in Jeddah’s flood-ravaged areas continued on Sunday with officials reducing the death toll reported on Saturday from 106 to 105.

Following an order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed has instructed a committee of the Ministry of Finance to pay compensation to the victims of the rain and flood at the weekly rate of SR2,400 for a family of more than two members. The prince also ordered the Health Affairs Department to meet the cost of treatment of flood victims at both government and private hospitals.

“The government committee for housing has provided apartments to 2,186 people whose houses were destroyed or damaged in the flooding. The committee is also trying to find accommodation for the remaining victims,” Capt. Abdullah Al-Amri, spokesman for Civil Defense in Makkah, said. Jeddah Municipality opened the inundated King Abdullah Road underpass for traffic on Sunday.

“Accumulated floodwater in the underpass has been drained with continuous and powerful pumping,” Municipal Undersecretary for Construction and Projects Ibrahim Kutubkhana told Arab News.

Describing the circumstance that led to the inundation of the underpass Kutubkhana added, “While the underpass had two pumps with a capacity to pump out a total of 5,000 cubic meters per hour the volume of floodwaters coming from the direction of the Madinah Road, Sharafiah and other neighboring districts reached 7,500 cubic meters an hour and in 10 hours water that reached the underpass crossed 70,000 cubic meters.”

The official said continuous pumping operations were under way in other districts as well. Efforts are being made to open Prince Majed underpass close to King Abdulaziz University, he added.

Prince Mishaal has ordered all government and security departments in Jeddah to double their efforts to restore normal traffic and electricity supply and remove debris from the affected areas. He also asked them to assess the damage suffered by the citizens. The order was issued at a meeting of the directors and heads of 33 committees of various government departments held at the prince’s office on Sunday.

Prince Mishaal urged them to work round the clock until the situation in the affected areas returns to normalcy. He also reviewed rebuilding plans of the area. Faisal Shawli, executive president of the Rain Committee and director general of roads in Jeddah, said major streets in the city have been drained.

“Currently the efforts to mitigate the suffering of the people by removal of debris and assessing the damages are progressing in all branch municipalities particularly in the south Jeddah,” Shawli added.

Local people in the east of the Haramain Expressway said more and more charity establishments have been coming forward to help them. Several people speaking to Arab News expressed their anger over the slow pace of municipal and other government departments in relieving their sufferings.

The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced that it would help the flood victims in collaboration with the private sector including car distributors, food merchants, furniture companies and charity organizations.

The chamber will first establish a data bank about the victims and the damage suffered and then offer required assistance, Deputy Chairman of JCCI Mazen Batterjee said.

The heavy rains in Rabigh on Wednesday did not cause any serious damages in Rabigh and nearby towns except a young man Nabeel Al-Sualmi, 21, was washed away and died while traveling to Jeddah.

— With input from Muhammad Al-Sheikh in Rabigh