YANBU: Yanbu Gov. Ibrahim Al-Sultan yesterday distributed weekly financial assistance of SR2,000 to 3,000 to families from the quake-hit Al-Ais area. The families are currently in hotels and furnished apartments in the city.
Speaking to reporters, Al-Sultan commended the government’s efforts in the service of the Al-Ais people displaced by tremors. “No other government has given such services as providing accommodation to quake-affected people,” Al-Sultan said. He said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah considered citizens the basis of this country and worked for their welfare and well-being.
Al-Sultan said the assistance was distributed in the places where the displaced people were staying; they were not asked to come to the Ministry of Finance’s office to collect the money.
Referring to the complaint about the closure of Al-Ais General Hospital, he said all hospitals in Madinah province, including Yanbu Al-Nakhl Hospital, would provide them with necessary health care services.
Al-Sultan advised displaced residents of Umlaj, who have been shifted to Yanbu after the tremors, to approach the Civil Defense and Finance Ministry offices in Tabuk city to receive assistance, as the Tabuk provincial authorities are responsible for them.
He said people from Al-Ais would be allowed to return as soon as the Saudi Geological Society (SGS) makes an announcement that it is safe to do so.
According to an SGS report, seismic activity in Al-Ais has decreased considerably. Only a single tremor with a strength of 3.08 on the Richter scale and depth of 6.8 km and a number of minor tremors with a strength of less than 3 have taken place in Al-Ais during the 24 hours ending at 2 p.m. yesterday, the report said.
Mohammed Al-Haidary, director of the Finance Ministry’s office in the province, said 627 families with a total of 4,600 members would benefit from the weekly financial assistance, which includes a housing allowance of SR1,500. He said eight families had been accommodated in the guest houses of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu.
Saad Al-Mohlafi, deputy director of the National Observation Center and chairman of the national committee to prepare environmental disaster plans, confirmed yesterday that no poisonous gases, including radon and carbon gases, were detected Al-Ais area. “No gases indicating an imminent eruption of a volcano have been found in Al-Ais,” Al-Mohlafi told reporters.
However, he pointed out that water in the wells close to Harrah Al-Shaqah, the epicenter of the tremors, is not suitable for drinking as it has been contaminated with gases as a result of strong quakes.
“Water in this area will be hotter than usual. So people should not drink it until making sure that it is free from any contaminants,” he said.
Meanwhile, as many as 2,300 students, including 300 girls, from Al-Ais have enrolled in schools in Yanbu to continue their studies without disruption. Seventy percent of teachers evacuated from Al-Ais are now in Yanbu and the remainder in Madinah. There are 45 schools in Yanbu, including eight secondary schools.
— With input by Yousuf Muhammad
