Saudi citizens who spent their storm-soaked holidays in northeastern United States returned home yesterday.
Flight SV20 arrived in Jeddah yesterday afternoon from New York as scheduled. The passengers — most of them Saudis — walked out of the terminal displaying no signs of strain from the ordeal of Hurricane Sandy, which had wreaked havoc on the East Coast and caused an estimated 70 deaths.
Turki Al-Soorayah, 10, was greeted and hugged by his grandfather who was waiting for him at the airport. Turki and his younger sibling, Abdulaziz Al-Soorayah, arrived along with their mother on the flight.
Speaking to Arab News, Turki said that he had enjoyed his holiday.
Hashim Al-Bar, who had gone to see his daughter studying in Boston, said he didn’t feel a sense of tragedy in the US. However, he was concerned when his first flight was canceled and experienced difficulty when the storm hit while he was traveling by bus to New York with his family.
His son, Omar, who is in Jeddah and came to the airport to receive his parents, said that he was concerned by news reports coming from New York. He said he watched news updates regularly and spoke to his parents by telephone. He praised Saudi authorities for making safety arrangements for Saudi nationals in the US.
Omar Sindi and Siraj Hefny also walked out smiling, saying there was nothing to worry about.
Another flight, SV34, arrived from Washington, and then flew to Riyadh yesterday. Earlier flights in these sectors were canceled due to severe weather conditions that prevailed in northeastern US.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Consulate in New York said Wednesday it had taken all measures to support Saudis affected by Sandy.
“We set up an emergency room soon after the emergence of the hurricane,” said Consul General Azzam Al-Gain.
He said the embassy would pay compensation to Saudis for the damages caused by the hurricane.
“We have received 700 calls so far from Saudis living in Sandy-hit areas and 150 calls from their relatives in the Kingdom,” he said.
Al-Gain said the embassy would pay hotel expenses of Saudis displaced by the hurricane.
“The affected Saudis should inform the consulate in New York in which hotel they are staying to get payment,” he said.
Al-Gain said the consulate is prepared to pay pocket money for Saudis to pull through the disaster. “The Saudi Embassy and consulates are working around the clock to extend all possible support to the affected Saudi nationals,” he said.
He said the cultural attache, Muhammad Al-Eissa, had provided information about Saudi students living in the storm-hit areas. “We’ll work around the clock until Sandy leaves the US,” he added.
Saudis return from Sandy-hit NY
