Khalid Maqbool Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – More than 200 houses located in east Jeddah are vulnerable to flooding, according to Maj. Gen. Jameel Arbaeen, Director of Makkah Civil Defense. He said the houses should be expropriated and their owners compensated. He said the Civil Defense is closely working with Jeddah Mayoralty and police to find a suitable way to evacuate the houses, compensate owners and find them temporary accommodation until expropriation procedures have been completed. He also said 80 percent of flood projects implemented in east Jeddah has been completed and ensured that the Civil Defense has taken all precautionary measures to face any emergency. The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment sends warnings to the directorate 12 hours before any chances of rain, he said. The directorate passes these warnings immediately to the Ministry of Education, which in its turn passes them to schools. “If rainfall is expected to reach a level over 20 mm, we declare an emergency and in this case schools should send students home. If it is less, the decision to suspend classes is left to the director of education in the governorate.” He called upon concerned authorities to expedite the construction of bridges and the drainage system to prevent floods in some areas such as Al-Kamil governorate. Regarding the shortage of Civil Defense equipment and personnel in Khulais and Al-Kamil governorates, Maj. Gen. Arbaeen said 44 new Civil Defense units would be set up all over Makkah region in near future. Concerning people who want to do volunteer work, he said the directorate is still working on regulations in this regard and will focus on benefiting from the expertise of countries that have a long history in the field. “We are planning to train volunteer doctors, engineers, safety experts and others once the regulations have been put in place.”
