The visit of the Emir of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal to flood-hit districts in Jeddah on Wednesday has led to increased demands from locals for authorities to tackle the remaining debris and damage and permit them to “return to normal life”. Local resident Fahd Al-Mar'ashi said he was concerned over the state in which hundreds of small shops were left by the floods. “Some have been completely destroyed and the owners have lost thousands of riyals,” Al-Mar'ashi said. “Many are still in the same state now. Authorities need to help the owners with their losses which in many cases are far greater than those suffered by house owners.” Residents of Quwaizah and Al-Sawa'ed notably have not hidden their discontent with the way the aftermath of the disaster has been handled. “I'm a resident here, and the flood destroyed all the furniture in my house, but the committees refused to put my name on the list saying I don't have property deeds,” said Dakheel Al-Jihani. Further complaints from people in the area centered on “insufficient numbers of workers” sent by the Mayor's Office and “vehicles and machinery not suitable for the work required”. The work of Civil Defense enumeration committees was, they added, “sluggish”.
