The cost of the flood damage in Jeddah is now estimated at SR3.5 billion as of Wednesday, said a source with the committee charged with estimating total losses incurred by the city following last week's floods. Of this total, SR1.5 billion will be provided to citizens in the form of indemnities, the source said. The remaining SR2 billion is the damage estimated to the city's infrastructure which includes buildings and roads. More than 35 field committees are working round-the-clock to evaluate the extent of the losses caused by the floods. The committees are responsible for checking on families in residential buildings and furnished flats. The committees have so far found that 1,932 buildings and 2,377 cars have been damaged by the heavy rains. Further costs are likely to be incurred if more than one member of a family was killed in the floods. Every martyr's family will be given one million riyals in compensation but this will increase if more family members died. The source said that the loss of furniture, buildings and cars is being calculated by committees which include experts from the Ministry of Finance and the Emirate. The Royal Order has given the committees the authority to seek help from any institution to examine documents that could shed light on the causes of the disaster. The committee chaired by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, has been tasked to determine the efficiency and sustainability of the existing projects. Meanwhile, the families of the martyrs have made requests to appear before the committee to give evidence on the efficiency of government bodies in handling the disaster, including answering distress calls and rescue operations.
