MADINAH, 27 January 2005 — Residents are beginning to return to their homes as floodwaters subside and crews work to re-establish power and more tales of devastation and tragedy emerge from the villages surrounding Madinah.
In Al-Hunakeya, 90 km from Madinah, the Fire Department finally recovered the body of a missing eight-year-old child after three days of intensive search.
But the worst tragedy remains the deaths of 13 members of one family that was swept away by raging floodwaters.
For some survivors who are returning to their villages, the devastation is shocking.
“I do not know how am I going to fix the house,” said Musleh Al-Muzaini, a resident of the Erwa neighborhood in Madinah who invested his life savings into building his home. “I can’t live in it because of the damage done by floodwater. I never thought that rain could do this to my house. I thought I would be protected since I am living inside Madinah and surrounded by other houses. I never imagined the entire lower floor would be full of water.”
A number of Erwa residents are calling for the removal of the Erwa dam because of the flooding.
The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has started restoring power to areas hit by the flood. Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin ordered the SEC to restore power to all rain-damaged areas as soon as possible, but work on supplying power to Abyar Ali village, 10 km outside Madinah, had to be halted due to continued flooding. It will resume once the water subsides.
The Madinah municipality worked with the Fire Department to repair damage in several neighborhoods inside the city. Water was sucked out from inundated neighborhoods, and many families were allowed to go back to their homes in the area.
Homeless people of damaged villages were given shelter in nearby villages as Deputy Mayor Abdul Kareem Al-Hunaini said that distribution of aid and food was already under way. Special committees have been formed to estimate the material damages caused by the floods.
For some, the recent nightmare has created an atmosphere of fear.
In Al-Mundassa village, 50 km to the south of Madinah, more than 500 residents abandoned their homes after rumors of the collapse of the dam that protects the village. Residents abandoned their homes and fled to higher ground. Villagers returned home after two days when the rumors were proven false.
But even those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed know it could have been worse.
“I was stranded with my children on the second floor until I was saved by a boat,” said Musleh Al-Muzaini.
