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Watch: How UAE authorities pulled off over 3,400 rescue ops, turned flooded areas into safe zones after heavy rains

Etisalat engineers were flown in to restore communications, as Sharjah electricity authority worked to re-establish power

Published: Mon 8 Aug 2022, 4:07 PM

Updated: Mon 8 Aug 2022, 4:09 PM

  • By
  • A Staff Reporter

Heavy rains that battered the UAE’s east recently flooded several areas in Sharjah, leaving many residents stranded. Authorities have now revealed how they mobilised emergency response teams to carry out rescue missions.

The Ruler of Sharjah has directed the disbursement of Dh50,000 to families that had to be evacuated after their homes were flooded in the weather deluge.


The Sharjah Police said they conducted more than 3,400 rescue and evacuation operations in the emirate’s eastern regions. The force handled more than 10,782 emergency calls, with full support from 503 crew members, 101 emergency vehicles and 45 patrols.

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Transportation and accommodation were provided to more than 2,100 affected people in schools and hotels in the eastern region.

In flood-hit Kalba, 2,069 residents were moved into schools, while nurses were transferred from Fujairah to support medical efforts in Kalba Hospital. Etisalat engineers were also flown in by the Sharjah Air Wing Department to restore communications in the area, while a team from the Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority worked to restore electricity.

Preparedness was intensified in valleys and areas prone to landslides. Rescue teams were also deployed to provide immediate assistance to those affected and maintain their safety.

Relevant entities across the emirate managed to turn the affected areas into safe zones. The Sharjah Police enforced a set of immediate emergency measures across the eastern region, closing roads leading into the affected areas to ensure safety of individuals. Roads were reopened to aid trapped citizens.

A top official praised the efficient response and competence of emergency teams mobilised to safeguard lives and property against the severe impacts of the heavy rainfall.

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Brigadier-General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amir, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, hailed the coordination between the force and the various federal entities. The cooperation helped the emirate brave the “hazardous weather events of exceptional severity”.

Teams from the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) partnered with relevant local and federal authorities, including Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Community Development, Sharjah Civil Defence Authority, and private sector entities to deal with the aftermath.

sahim@khaleejtimes.com



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