Bader, who became embroiled in last year’s Jeddah flood catastrophe, spent time helping with relief in the aftermath. He told Arab News that he lost his car and final project in the floods, and witnessed the catastrophe hitting his home and those of his neighbors.
Bader now lives with his grandmother in the north of Jeddah; he does not want to live in Quwaiza and has developed a phobia for that part of the city.
Lucky for him, he managed to secure an extension to his project. Now that he has graduated, he will soon head for the United Kingdom for postgraduate studies. Bader clearly remembers the morning of Nov. 25, 2009 - he was planning to head for Makkah. It wasn’t long before he realized that his car - which had his laptop, Eid clothes, ID documents and car license inside — had been swept away. He also remembers the stench as floodwaters mixed with sewage.
Although his car, a GMC, was worth between SR75,000 and SR80,000, Bader only received SR50,000 in compensation. It took him a while to find his car and the documents inside to prove ownership. “I looked like a man working in clay, digging away in the mud to get into my car and the stuff that was inside,” he said.
Quwaiza was left shaken, said Bader, adding that many of its previous residents have not returned. “Some of my neighbors moved to other districts where the risk of flash floods is not high; others moved to other cities. One of my neighbors moved to Makkah even though his daughter is studying medicine at a college in Jeddah,” he said.
“Although building owners repaired their apartments and tried convincing residents to return, many did not. The floods revealed how poorly constructed these buildings were. Many collapsed very quickly. Only a few people agreed to return because they had no other options,” he said.
