Investigations into the causes of the floods that wracked Jeddah last week are due to begin. In what is turning into the most comprehensive examination of Saudi infrastructure and the politics behind it, people are angry, the King is angry. It’s entirely possible that officials will be held accountable for their actions and inactions.

Arab News reports that there’s a rumor sweeping the country saying that Jeddah municipal officials are being prevented from leaving the country in advance of the inquiry. It’s only a rumor, however, which officials repudiate.

Probe to begin on Saturday
Hassna’a Mokhtar | Arab News

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah ordered an inquiry into the causes of the Nov. 25 flash flooding in Jeddah. The commission in charge is set to begin its investigation on Saturday.

Following the announcement of the investigation, the municipality denied rumors that many of its employees are banned from traveling outside the Kingdom.

“It is absolutely not true,” Jeddah municipality spokesman Ahmed Al-Ghamdi told Arab News.

Unconfirmed reports by different media sources were cited on Tuesday saying that 70 percent of the municipality’s employees were banned from traveling outside Saudi Arabia.

One of the rumors said that Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport has a list with the names of people banned from traveling.

“This includes names of workers in the Jeddah municipality, other branches of the municipality, drainage system and some other construction companies,” said one report on the online Arabic-language forum alrassxp.com
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Arab News also runs a piece by Maha Akeel, who reports on her experience working with a charity group to help Jeddah residents. She reports on horror stories of the survivors—not all of whom ended up surviving! She notes that the media has played a useful role in reporting the tragedy and that many Saudis volunteered to help. Volunteerism is a growing phenomenon in the Kingdom, one that should be assisted wherever possible.

She closes her article strongly, reflecting the anger Jeddawis are feeling toward their government:

… People died in this tragedy because of negligence, mismanagement and corruption. The king’s orders to investigate the causes, rectify them, compensate the victims and hold those responsible for the tragedy, no matter who they are, is the kind of decision expected from a leader known for his courage, humaneness and sense of responsibility. We are confident that the investigating committee formed will carry out its duties — “immediately” as the king instructed, with all fairness. Let us hold those responsible accountable even if they have already left office. They should not be allowed to get away with murder. Justice delayed is better than no justice at all.

The disaster has people on tenterhooks over the possibility of a repetition:

Light rain in parts of Jeddah creates panic

Arab News also reports that Thieves prey on flood victims and that Many stores out of business, while Lawyers offer pro bono services to the distressed.

Saudi Gazette carries stories about the hardship Jeddah residents are facing following a less-than-stellar performance by municipal authorities.

Al-Basteen’s ‘lake’ may hold more drowned victims
Ibrahim Alawi

JEDDAH – The district of Al-Basteen now has a giant pool of water which many residents fear holds the bodies of their missing relatives.

Residents here have gathered around it, waiting for it to dry, so that they can find out whether their family members have drowned. Civil Defense rescue teams have been called to start pulling out many decomposing bodies from the pool.

One of those thought to have drowned in the pool, which has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents, is Khedr Al-Salami. Al-Salami left his house on the morning of the rains to inspect the construction work at the mosque he was building for charity and in memory of his dead father.
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It also reports that those who lost vehicles to the flood are on their own when it comes to locating them:

If floods swept away your car, then find it yourself
Muhammad Al-Ajlan

JEDDAH – If you are one of those who lost their car in last week’s floods, then you have to look for it yourself at the many sites set up for flood-damaged vehicles.

If you are lucky enough, you will find someone who can guide you or tell you where these sites are. Okaz found 15 such sites. But even if you have the good fortune of finding your car, you have to pay SR500 to have it towed back home.
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Among the areas hardest hit were the ‘unplanned’ developments on the city’s outskirts. These, suggests former Jeddah mayor Nazih Nasief, are something that the municipality cannot control.

Unplanned districts spread like cancer: Former Mayor

Actually, they can be controlled, but not easily and not by keeping everyone at some modicum of happiness. Clearing these districts would be extremely unpopular with those living in them for want of any other accommodation, to be sure. But when the entire city suffers as a result, perhaps they need attention and action.

Meanwhile, other Saudi cities are checking their own flood-preparedness, as Saudi Gazette/Okaz report:

Taif officials check their flood preparations