JEDDAH: The Makkah branch of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has criticized the absence of the Saudi Red Crescent from relief operations in areas worst affected by the recent floods in Jeddah.
A delegation from the society, headed by Dr. Hussein Al-Sharif, the NSHR’s Makkah branch supervisor, toured the Quwaizah and Kilo 14 areas on Tuesday to verify reports of shortcomings in relief aid.
“We have monitored a case in which people were not given accommodation and another one in which those affected did not receive relief items distributed by welfare societies,” said Al-Sharif.
He added that Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijri, director general of the Civil Defense, gave orders that people without homes should be provided with accommodation and welfare organizations had sent out teams of inspectors to check cases of people who claimed that they had not received any aid.
The delegation also comprised other members of the NSHR, including Dr. Baheejah Bahaa Eizi, Maatouq Al-Sharif and Hamza Al-Bahith.
“The situation is gradually getting back to normal in these areas. There are still ongoing cleansing operations. We have also seen a clinic established by the Ministry of Health,” said Al-Sharif.
He said the delegation noted that some single men were not given accommodation despite their apartments being damaged in the floods. “ We conveyed details of their plight to Gen. Al-Tuwaijri who immediately made personal efforts to resolve their issue on the spot,” he added.
From Quwaizah, the delegation proceeded to Kilo 14 to assess the condition of people — both Saudis and foreigners — living there. They inspected the modality for relief distribution and visited a number of damaged homes. “The flood victims in this area need more support as the relief materials that were sent were not enough. Some families have not received any aid,” said Al-Sharif. He also called on aid workers to work harder to ensure assistance reaches everyone, particularly since there is a large number of children and women in the district.
Al-Sharif said that some positive signs the delegation had seen in Kilo 14 included the continuous cleansing of streets and removal of debris. “The district still needs more work as there are lots of flies and mosquitoes there,” he added.
The delegation also presented a verbal report on its findings to Civil Defense officials when Gen. Al-Tuwaijri and Brig. Muhammad Al-Qarni visited the Civil Defense center.
“We have told them about our observations concerning the disparity between Saudi citizens and foreigners in the domain of accommodation and sustenance, fears that search operations for the missing might stop and the readiness to deal with the Musk Lake in case of any problems,” he said.
Dr. Al-Sharif said Civil Defense officials assured them that there is no disparity in providing accommodation to victims.
He quoted Gen. Al-Tuwaijri as saying that they were carrying out the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to the letter to provide accommodation to all without any prejudice. He said officials have given them detailed reports of the work carried out by the Civil Defense and also discussed the Musk Lake with the delegation.
“We have felt a comprehensive readiness to face any emergency situation concerning the lake. They have made arrangements to deal with any leakage and they have built more dams to prevent any water overflowing from the lake,” he said.
Al-Sharif said the Civil Defense has established a direct line (6571619) to receive calls for help or other related information. We commend the Civil Defense for this humane work, he added.
