JEDDAH: Each family in Jeddah’s flood-ravaged areas has a story to tell. Each story is different yet they all share suffering. Arab News visited the family of Zaker Hussein, resident in Kilo 14 area in south Jeddah, home mainly to Burmese settlers.
A group of seven families, all related, share a house of seven rooms in two levels. Like many victims, Zaker’s house was flooded and the whole family was forced to move up to the first floor.
Like many families, they initially welcomed the rains that fell on the morning of Nov. 25. But then water started to leak into the house. When the waters became knee-deep, the family was forced to evacuate to the first floor.
Getting to the house of Zaker Ahmad was not easy. The roads leading to the house were blanketed with mud and debris. Wooden planks were placed on the ground to navigate the mud to reach the homes.
A week after the flood, not one official has offered help or assistance to the Zaker family. When the Zaker family went to the local Civil Defense outpost with their documents, including home ownership, they were told the priority goes to Saudis first. When Ahmad pointed out that some members of his family are Saudi nationals, he was told that made no difference. “Some Civil Defense officials flipped their identity badges over to hide their names so that we could not complain against them for not helping us,” he said. So the Zakers returned to their flooded home and continued their cleanup. The biggest problem has been access to clean water.
The cistern cracked in the disaster, tainting the drinking water and giving dysentery to the children. Volunteers who have brought clean water and other amenities have been the only responders to the family’s problems.
“We had to send the kids to our relatives in Makkah until the situation is clear,” said Ahmad. “We tried to convince our mother to leave because she is old but she refused. We told her that we are men and we can take care of ourselves but she insisted that either the whole family move or the whole family stays.”
When the forecast called for more rain on Wednesday, residents were alarmed. Considering the lack of response form officials to the flood’s last week, they realized they would be on their own if the flooding hit again.
Ahmad built a barrier in front of his house hoping it would help keep water out.
“We suffered a lot and our house was partly damaged by the rain. I haven’t changed my clothes in a week. I lost everything, my furniture and clothes. Everything can be rebuilt and thank God for that, and especially not losing anyone in the flood.”
