JEDDAH: Volunteer aid distributors in the parts of Jeddah that were recently hit by floods are complaining of being harassed and even physically abused by residents.
Badar Al-Shareef from the Neighborhood Centers’ Association said the problem can be resolved if the police were to establish a presence at times when aid is distributed. “We have people who have volunteered to distribute aid in the flood-hit areas of Jeddah. Two of our volunteers were beaten and the relief they had with them taken from them,” he said.
“We do not understand why we were attacked when it is us who have come to help people. There needs to be more security in those areas to carryout our work,” he added.
Col. Misfer Al-Juaid, official spokesman for Jeddah police, said there is a 24-hour police presence in areas hit by the floods and that the police are working in coordination with the governorate office regarding the distribution of aid.
