Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah emphasized Sunday that he would not accept any negligence on the part of government officials, which would endanger the life and safety of citizens and residents.

With reference to the Makkah floods which destroyed the homes and properties of many citizens and residents on Thursday, he said government officials must do their duties promptly and efficiently.

“We’ll not allow anybody to obstruct the comprehensive development projects that are being carried out in the region,” he added.

Thursday’s flash floods destroyed hundreds of vehicles and homes in various parts of Makkah and cut off electricity to nearly 25,000 homes. An elderly man reportedly died after a tree fell on him.

Prince Mishaal, meanwhile, issued a decision to bring the Crisis and Catastrophe Management Center in the Makkah region under his direct supervision. “The center is the first of its kind in the Gulf region,” said Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Shahri, spokesman of the governorate.

The center comprises representatives from 15 government departments and agencies including civilian and military agencies dealing with crises and catastrophes.

He said the center would deal with crises urgently on the directive of the governor. “It will also be ready to hold meetings around the clock to deal with emergency situations,” he added.

“Four Interior Ministry helicopters equipped with powerful cameras will be at the center’s disposal,” Al-Shahri said, adding that the helicopters would provide live photos from the flashpoints. According to Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar, there were several reasons for the unprecedented flooding. “First, the ongoing third ring road project obstructed the flood’s pathways,” he said.

“Another reason is that Makkah, which normally gets 80 millimeters of rain throughout the year, experienced the heaviest rainfall of the season with the city being hit by 52 millimeters in a single day,” he said referring to the downpours on Thursday.

“This means we got seven months of rain within a period of two hours. Moreover, Makkah is surrounded by mountains. Most roads and streets are in valleys where rainwater drains into from surrounding mountains,” he explained. Al-Bar said the mayoralty had readied its forces to deal with such heavy rains. “We have 12 teams for the purpose,” he added.