MADINAH: The Civil Defense in Madinah province has taken precautionary measures in Al-Ais, 240 km northwest of here, after a series of tremors hit the area late last month, said Lt. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijri, director general of the Civil Defense.
Al-Tuwaijri said the measures are precautionary and there was nothing to be alarmed about. He said tents have been set up to house people in case of an emergency.
Gen. Saleh Al-Muhawwas, head of the Civil Defense in Madinah, said his department is fully equipped and prepared for any emergency. He added that over 2,000 emergency tents have been set up for the estimated 60,000 people living in the Al-Ais area.
“We have other locations ready, such as wedding halls, in case of large-scale evacuations,” he said. He said there were tremors in Bahrat Al-Shaqqah, but this is natural because the area is full of extinct volcanoes.
“Our job is facing any possible disaster. We have plans for such a scenario and other government departments are involved in the process,” he said.
Health centers in Al-Ais are on full alert. Hadma, a village located very close to a volcano, was evacuated as a precautionary measure. Life, however, returned to normal on Monday as students returned to schools.
Residents expressed relief as they were reassured by the Civil Defense that there is no danger to their lives.
Residents of Hadma spoke about shaking doors and windows when the tremors occurred. Many of them slept outdoors. The tremors led to half of the population leaving the village to go and live with relatives elsewhere.
“I temporarily moved to Al-Ais to live with my relatives until the situation became calm,” said Fareej Al-Anmi, a resident of Hadma. “We are ready to move to the shelter tents if need be,” said Al-Anmi.
Salem Al-Marwani, another resident, said the tremors showed that the village lacks many needed services.
“There are no proper roads in the village that people could use to leave the village quickly in case of an emergency,” he added.
Residents denied any cases of poisoning due to volcanic activity.
