They planned to send compensation claims by priority mail to the Makkah governorate office. Each claim costs SR5 to mail.

Business at the post offices flourished after some branches started offering the service to fill out the claim and make photocopies. Some of the expatriates applying to send a claim were charged SR10 or more for the service.

There was a long line that stretched right outside one post office building in downtown Jeddah. The scene inside the post office was chaotic as many of the applicants were tired and sitting down on the floor, blocking pathways and the door entrance.

Samir Nahhas, regional manager of Saudi Post, confirmed to Arab News that the number of applicants by Tuesday had reached more than 17,000 in all post offices in Jeddah.

“Our offices were made fully operational in order to handle and process the number of applicants. The majority of them were arriving at the post office to send priority mail packages,” he said. There were a large number of expatriate residents from Burma, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and other African countries. He ruled out any notion that the rumors originated from the post office.

On Tuesday, the Makkah Governorate issued a press statement stating that the rumor was not true and the governorate office was not accepting any compensation request from expatriates living in Jeddah.

The statement said that those affected by the flood were already registered by a special committee formed to assess damages from the floods. More than 30,000 people, residents and expatriates, were affected by the disaster.

“Despite the governorate statement, people are still flocking to the post office buildings. Hopefully it will all end by Wednesday,” said Nahhas.