RIYADH: The losses in terms of life and property are fewer this year compared to previous years because of timely warnings by the weather department and awareness campaigns and preventive measures by the authorities concerned.

These remarks were made by Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al Amro, director-general of Civil Defense, during a meeting with officials of his department in Jazan recently. He was in the region to evaluate the damage caused by last week's rain. He was accompanied by Jazan Governorate Undersecretary Saad bin Muqrin Al- Muqrin during the tour.

Al-Amro said the purpose of his visit to the region was not only to evaluate the aftermath of the floods but also to give people an assurance that the government is with them in times of natural calamities.

Under the guidance of Jazan Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Nasser, the Civil Defense implemented a comprehensive program to curtail the adverse effects from the floods. There was continuous air surveillance in all affected areas. On Thursday, seven people died and 90 were rescued in Jazan.

Maj. Yahya Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the Directorate of Civil Defense in Jazan, said 11 people who were trapped in the floods in a valley were either airlifted with the help of helicopters or rescued by divers who went to the site on life saving boats.

More than 100 Civil Defense officials were deployed to help people affected by the rain. The spokesman said a rescue team is still looking for two people reported missing following a heavy downpour. Around 50 families were evacuated from their homes as a whole neighborhood was flooded.

According to Civil Defense, 18 people have been killed during the heavy rain and floods over the past week in the Kingdom. The toll covered much of the country, from Riyadh to Hail, Makkah, Madinah, Al-Baha, Asir, Najran and Jazan. The authorities said 915 people were rescued.

Two people died in the southwestern Jazan region, which borders Yemen, where three areas in the mountainous district were inundated by floodwaters. The Saudi Red Crescent separately reported one death in Al-Baha, more than 300 km north of Jazan city.

A total of 27 people were injured in Al-Baha over three days because of accidents during the heavy rain. Heavy downpours struck Saudi Arabia last week. In Riyadh, schools were closed Wednesday after floods caused traffic chaos.