“Our street is now known as the street of death because the floods have hit us twice and resulted in huge devastation,” said Maha Al-Mutairy, a 37-year-old widow. “I’m now officially broke. I only had the house to depend on. This was where I lived along with my children and my old mother. Now it’s gone and I’m left with nothing,” she added.

To live, Al-Mutairy depends on the money she receives from the Social Security Fund. Most of it is spent on car rent. “I receive around SR800 a month which is not enough to feed a family of seven. I pay around SR450 to rent a car. We use it to take my children to school, go shopping and take my mother to hospital … even that is now damaged,” she said.

During the floods, Al-Mutairy broke her leg while trying to evacuate her home. “I slipped on the floor while trying to pack, wake up my children and carry my mother outside the house all at once,” she said.

“I couldn’t do all of this at the same time, so I started screaming for help. One of the neighbors heard me and came inside and helped me and my family get out,” she added.

During the floods, the family stayed at a neighbor’s house. “We were invited by one of the families living in the neighborhood and we stayed at their house for two days until we were moved to a furnished apartment,” she said. “The family was very kind and warm. They offered us food and shelter until our situation got better and I’m thankful for that,” she added.

“A day after the floods, I went home to check on it and found that the roof had collapsed,” she said.

“All of the furniture had been washed away and the house smelled bad. I couldn’t even get my children’s clothes. That’s how I said goodbye to the fond memories that I had in that house,” she added.

“We were lucky that the Civil Defense immediately moved us into a furnished apartment near my house. We also received food and supplies from volunteers who knocked on our doors and offered us medical help and groceries,” she said.

“The groceries were enough for one week and I have six mouths to feed so I had to look for other ways to get money,” she added.

Selling her jewelry and precious belongings was the only way for Al-Mutairy to feed her family. “I’m so proud that I cannot go and ask people for money which pushed me to go from one jewelry shop to another to find the best price for my jewelry. I only did this to help my family,” she said.

The 37-year-old mother now waits for the Civil Defense to tell her that her home is ready to welcome her and her children. “I still wonder how I will be able to refurnish the house and buy new clothes for my children with only SR350. I pray the Almighty helps me through all this,” said Al-Mutairy.