Authorities in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah said compensation would be offered to people who suffered damage from the heavy rains and floods that hit the city on Thursday.
“Those who have suffered damage from the rains and floods will be compensated according to the 2009 mechanism,” said spokesman for the Mayor of Jeddah, Mohammed Obeid as quoted by Gulf News, Saturday (26/11/2022).
Obeid explained that the people must apply to the state's Crises and Disasters Control Center to create a damage register and take legal action, the Okaz newspaper reported.
Two people died in Thursday's torrential rains and flooding which was caught on video showing cars submerged and washed away in flooded streets.
Its rainfall is the highest recorded in Jeddah in more than 13 years, according to the Saudi National Meteorological Center.
Torrential rains caused flash floods in the city, triggering school closures, blocking traffic and stranding cars, harking back to the massive and deadly floods that hit Jeddah in 2009.
Two People Killed
At least two people died on Thursday 24 November 2022 when heavy rains hit western Saudi Arabia, including the coastal city of Jeddah, suspended flights, and forced schools to close, officials said.
"Two deaths have been recorded so far, and we ask everyone not to go out unless necessary," the Makkah regional government said on its Twitter page as quoted by AFP, Friday, November 25, 2022.
In monitoring the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah, the Director General of PWNI and BHI, Joedha Nugraha, said that the current situation due to the flooding in Jeddah and its surroundings is gradually returning to normal. Most of the affected roads have shrunk.
"So there are only a few points such as underpasses where you can see deep puddles of water," said Joedha.