JEDDAH: During the devastating flash floods that hit Jeddah on Nov. 25, many people including expatriates went out of their way to rescue people from imminent death.
Some of these volunteers have lost their documents, including resident permits (iqamas) and driving licenses. But the negative attitude of some government officials has left them disappointed.
Moosa Farookan and Kaniyanthodika Rafeek, two expatriates from the Indian state of Kerala, said they saved the lives of six Saudis, including a 60-year-old man and four children. “We jumped into the water when we saw them being washed away. We did that on humanitarian grounds without expecting any material benefits,” Farookan told Arab News.
“When we returned home we found it had been swept away by the floods. We had kept our iqamas, licenses and money inside the house,” Farookan said, adding that he had lost SR8,000 in cash, and his passport, license and Iqama.
Farookan, an employee of a water company, said his water truck was completely damaged. Rafeek had lost his iqama, driving license and municipality license.
Farookan and Rafeek were shocked when the Saudi man whom they saved from floods refused to tell Civil Defense officials about what they did. “Now we are in trouble. The authorities are asking us to bring our Saudi sponsor who is in Qassim and we cannot go there without any official papers,” Farookan said, requesting the authorities to give them a letter to go to Qassim. Farookan holds Iqama No. 2166564175 and Rafeek 2259832661.
