JEDDAH: Over a month after the heavy rains hit Jeddah 37 people are still considered missing and large pools of stagnant water remain in some districts.
The official death toll from the Nov. 25 floods stands at 122 while Civil Defense continues to devote 74 officers and 109 pieces of equipment to search for the remaining missing persons.
“The bodies could be trapped under layers of mud,” said Civil Defense Operations Manager Col. Mohammed Al-Shabani.
The heavy showers left a huge pool of stagnating water in Al-Harazat and Civil Defense workers have been working to drain this and other pools.
The Civil Defense also reported that it has sent 50 trucks to remove the water. Also, the Civil Defense combined forces and operations with the National Guard to search for the missing with plans implemented by the Civil Defense. Mohammed Al-Mudaris, a faculty member in the Marine Science College in Jeddah, said that the Civil Defense has engaged in “recklessness” for not having drawn up plans for addressing such emergencies before they happen. He claims there are 157 standing pools of water throughout the city.
“Heavy rain (that last for such short periods of time) is not a disaster in any other place in the world but it was a disaster here because we don’t have a drainage system,” he said. “And of course the bodies have not been found because there is deficiency in working quickly and accurately.”
He said that the missing bodies could have drifted to remote areas to be buried under mud.
“I don’t see clear plans to fix this problem in the future,” he said. “Everything is still vague. It’s sad that with all the development we have at the moment we are still talking about infrastructure.”
