“The city has been divided into 16 blocks to construct support centers where emergency forces and equipment can be permanently stationed to bring quick relief and rescue when any calamity befalls communities in nearby districts,” the prince said while presiding over a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Ministerial Subcommittee for Jeddah Development.
Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed also attended the meeting.
More than 130 people died and thousands suffered huge losses in two floods that have taken Jeddah by surprise in the last 15 months. Prince Mishaal said that project contracts would not be awarded to a single company but to several companies to ensure projects are completed quickly.
Young Saudi engineers will be trained and appointed at the support centers which will be organized by Saudi Aramco in two weeks, the prince said. He added that assistance would be sought from 10 international companies with expertise in flood management.
Many areas vulnerable to floods have been identified and remedial measures will be taken. The prince said 65 teams are currently evaluating the damage that occurred during the recent floods.
The subcommittee was set up under the supervision of Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif who is the chairman of the ministerial committee constituted under the instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to find immediate solutions to end the repeated problem of floods in Jeddah.
The committee has the power to bypass stipulations governing the award of contracts and purchases. The committee will see that reasonable compensation is paid to flood victims quickly.
