DUBAI // Two days after a devastating storm swept across the country, floodwaters remain in some of Dubai’s communities.
Flooding damaged many homes in the Green Community in Dubai Investment Park after the lake at the centre of the development burst its banks.
One resident of Terrace Apartments said she was shocked to return from work on Wednesday to find one of her two dogs floating in her living room.
“People were panicking,” said Sarah, a British teacher.
“The fire alarms were going off, and people were trying to get their kids out. It was scary.”
Her dog Ruby was floating in the water.
“It was quite traumatic because she was out of her depth. Our garden furniture had floated across the lake,” Sarah said.
Families described trying to make their homes as habitable as possible, with some using modelling clay as makeshift filler to plug gaps in windows and doors. Still, many were staying with friends, family or in hotels until the floodwater had cleared.
Another resident, Mohammed, said when he arrived home from work at 4pm on Wednesday, the water was at his ankles. Overnight, “the water rose above the skirting board”.
Yesterday, maintenance contractors Serve-U were helping to sweep water away, but residents said that Union Properties, the community’s developer, had told them tankers to pump water had been sent to Abu Dhabi to help with recovery work there. Union Properties was not available for comment.
Yoon Shik Ahn, a Korean father of two and a manager at construction company Sendan International, was at home when the flooding began. He called on his employer’s resources to help with the clean-up.
“Water was coming first from the drainage inside the house,” he said. “We tried to sweep the water out, but we could see the lake was still rising and knew there was nothing we could do.”
Like many residents, he did not have insurance. He faces a bill of about Dh40,000 to replace furniture and will consider moving when his contract expires. “I never thought Dubai would ever get flooded like this,” he said.
“It shouldn’t flood here. I have lived in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, and never seen this before.”
The aftermath was still apparent across the Emirates. In Ibn Battuta, abandoned cars could still be seen, while the main road through Discovery Gardens remained closed.
nwebster@thenational.ae
