Dubai experienced the heaviest rains in 75 years, which brought the country pretty much to a standstill last week. Flooding trapped residents in traffic, offices and homes. Many reported leaks at their homes, and many are still struggling to dry out their flooded homes.
Hence, to ease the life of the citizens in Dubai affected by the storm the authorities have released an official WhatsApp number, Citizens can now contact authorities through WhatsApp to receive help with damages sustained to property during the rains.
The number (0583009000) has been allocated on the WhatsApp application to receive requests for support from affected citizens.
This comes after Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed the concerned authorities to plan for extreme weather conditions.
Under these directives, Omar Hamad Bushahab, Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment established a committee to study all requests from affected citizens and determine how to address them, while “giving priority to maintaining all their damaged homes and restoring them.”
He added that the Committee for the Care of Affected People in Dubai, which is composed of members from different authorities in the emirate, will focus on receiving all requests from citizens affected by the rain to address them.
The committee will prioritise maintenance and rehabilitation of all affected citizens’ homes, in order to accelerate the return of normal life to all regions of the emirate.
Sheikh Hamdan also directed the Dubai Land Department and the Real Estate Regulatory Agency to coordinate with real estate developers and residential complex management companies in Dubai to ensure the return of normalcy to all their areas in the emirate during the coming days.
These authorities affirmed their commitment to providing a range of services to those affected without any additional fees, including providing alternative housing for those affected, food supplies to the affected residents in residential complexes, sterilisation and pest control services.