JEDDAH: Citizens whose properties were destroyed or damaged in the floods demanded the Civil Defense speed up its damage assessments and administer financial assistance, Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Wednesday. Several victims complained that names of their family members, who would normally be eligible for assistance and compensation, did not appear in the relevant lists.
“The names are omitted even though I submitted the documents including all the names of our family members to the damage assessment committee,” Saeed Mutairy, said a Saudi affected by the flood.
“My family card carried the names of my two grown up sons. But the assessment committee omitted their names from the list,” another victim Omar Mutairy said. “The committee should make clear what criteria it follows when it deletes names of people who deserve compensation. I do not know why the names of my two sons, who are staying with me, are deleted from the list. They have their own identity cards,” he added. Mutairy added that his case was not an isolated one as several other people complained about the same thing.
Another affected citizen, Muhammad Al-Shahri, said the Civil Defense should seek the assistance of other departments while assessing the damages and preparing lists. Residents also demanded the assessment committees visit affected neighborhoods, particularly houses with families comprising mainly old women and children, who cannot go to the Civil Defense offices. Some said several of the houses where flood victims live could collapse any moment.
Col. Ali Al-Otaibi, director of the Center for Shelter Information at the Civil Defense, said clear instructions were issued to field committees assessing damage. People who suffered losses should present themselves with necessary documents before the committee and register their names. People without documents should bring a certificate from the umdah (an official village head) supporting their claims. The committee will verify the claims after visiting the claimant to conduct further investigations, he said.
