The amount of cash awarded is far less than the minimal needs of those affected by the floods and not in sync with the value of damaged property.
I was not particularly surprised by the figures produced by the Evaluation Committee, which was formed by the Finance Ministry, simply because any other committee would have done the same. Such committees have a tendency to underestimate costs in order to save money without giving any thought to whether their estimates are unjust.
The way people have been treated surprises me. They have been treated this way to save money. They should have been viewed humanely instead. Their suffering surpasses the material losses they have suffered. Mental and psychological pain is priceless.
If the committees do not want to be fair in estimating material losses, then they should at least be fair in estimating people’s mental and psychological sufferings.
What I really cannot understand is the Finance Ministry’s insistence that the estimations are final and cannot be reviewed. It is as if the ministry is giving the victims a gift and not their legitimate right, as instructed by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who feels deeply for the Kingdom’s citizens.
People affected by the floods have been left shocked by the amount of money they are to be paid. These people need help to alleviate their pain and to enable them to face the aftermath of the tragedy. They are instead left to with those who are only willing to barter with them the value of their damaged property.
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