UAE Allocates $544 Million for Flood Damage Repair in Emirati Homes

(CTN News) – On Wednesday, the UAE announced $544 million to rebuild Emirati families’ houses following record-breaking rains that caused severe flooding and brought the oil-rich Gulf state to a stop.

“We learned great lessons in dealing with severe rains,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said following a cabinet meeting, adding that ministers agreed to “two billion dirhams to deal with damage to citizens’ homes.”

Wednesday’s news comes more than a week after an epic rainfall hit the desert country, turning streets into rivers and crippling Dubai Airport, the world’s busiest for international passengers.

“A ministerial committee was assigned to follow up on this file […] and disburse compensation in cooperation with the rest of the federal and local authorities,” said Sheikh Mohammed, ruler of Dubai, one of the worst hit of the UAE’s seven sheikhdoms.

وفي مجلس الوزراء اليوم أقررنا مبلغ 2 مليار درهم لمعالجة الأضرار التي لحقت ببيوت المواطنين ومساكنهم وتم تكليف لجنة وزارية بمتابعة هذا الملف وحصر أضرار المساكن وصرف التعويضات بالتعاون مع بقية الجهات الاتحادية والمحلية.

وشكلنا في مجلس الوزراء أيضاً اليوم لجنة لحصر أضرار السيول… pic.twitter.com/1ZzoJ8Xleg

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 24, 2024

The greatest rainstorm in the UAE since records began 75 years ago killed at least four people, including three Filipino laborers and one Emirati. The UAE authorities have not provided an official toll.

Cabinet ministers have organized a second committee to assess infrastructure damage and provide solutions, Sheikh Mohammed stated in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“The situation was unprecedented in its severity, but we are a country that learns from every experience,” the prime minister added.

The storm that dumped up to two years of rain on the UAE, a federal monarchy with a 90% expatriate population, receded by late Wednesday.

ترأست اليوم اجتماعاً لمجلس الوزراء بقصر الوطن بأبوظبي .. ناقشنا خلاله نتائج وآثار الحالة الجوية التي مرت بها الدولة خلال الأيام السابقة .. الحالة كانت غير مسبوقة في شدتها .. ولكننا دولة تتعلم من كل تجربة .. وتطور نفسها .. حيث تعاملت غرف العمليات المركزية مع أكثر من 200 ألف بلاغ..… pic.twitter.com/Yq7hEAhmHW

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 24, 2024

However, Dubai, which was promoted as a picture-perfect metropolis, was severely disrupted for days afterward, with water-clogged highways and flooded homes.

Dubai Airport canceled 2,155 flights, diverted 115, and did not resume full capacity until Tuesday.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a famous Emirati analyst, stated on Wednesday that there has been an unacceptable collapse in services and crisis management.

“We hope that this will not be repeated in the future,” he said in a rare public censure.

Climatologist Friederike Otto, a specialist in assessing the influence of global warming on extreme weather events, told AFP that it was “highly likely” that the rainfall “was made heavier by human-caused climate change”.