“We thought it would only be nominal and were surprised by the large amounts given to us,” one of the victims told Arab News.
Payment of compensation began on Saturday at the headquarters of Civil Defense in Sharafiyyah and will continue until all victims have received their entitlements. Director of Civil Defense in Jeddah Brig. Abdullah Jeddawi said the handing over of compensation was carried out with ease and smoothness according to instructions by Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed.
“We are distributing compensation according to lists on which are all the names of eligible recipients. We are not being particular because we know that not all people will be able to come to us on the same day. Some of them may have circumstances that may not allow them to come on time,” Jeddawi said.
He said the distribution of compensation would start at the beginning of work in the morning and continue until the Maghreb prayer. “Most of those who received compensation were astonished by the large amount. They expected them to be only nominal,” he said.
The compensation is given by bank checks and cannot be contested. There will be no re-assessment of the damaged buildings and no-objection to the compensation will be entertained. The committees, which estimated the values of damaged property, sought the assistance of real estate offices in assessing the cost of the land and the cost of repairs.
