Saudi Gazette/Okaz report that people are now seeking to assess blame (or excuse themselves from it) over the Jeddah flood disaster. A former chairman of the (partially) elected Municipal Council put responsibility directly at the feet of the Jeddah Mayor’s Office:

Jeddah Mayoralty failed to respond to warnings, says Municipal Council
Hussein Hazzazi

JEDDAH – The city was officially warned about the potential danger of flooding four years ago, said Tariq Fadaq, former chairman of the Jeddah Municipal Council. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs was also warned, he said.

Fadaq like many others, including two former Mayors of Jeddah Nazih Nasief and Abdullah Al-Mualimi, said he would be happy to help the investigation committee formed by King Abdullah to establish the reasons for the disaster that has claimed over 100 lives and to try to determine responsibility.

Fadaq said he still has copies of the detailed official documents containing the warning which were submitted to the Jeddah Mayoralty in the wake of the heavy rains that lashed the city some four years ago.
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While Jeddah road traffic 95% normal, says official, citizens are coming forth with their stories about how they coped with the floods. One points out that the Saudi Civil Defense office was among the first hit by the flooding, putting fire engines and other rescue equipment underwater before they could be brought into play:

‘I survived the flood, but they didn’t’
Hani Bahasan

JEDDAH – Residents of this flood-hit city all have their own stories to tell – of loss, despair and courage in the face of adversity. Here people of Guwaizah talk about their fight to survive as the deadly floods swept through the Guwaizah District last week.

Awada Al-Sulami, a staff sergeant in the Jeddah Traffic Department, is one of those people.

“I still can’t believe that I managed to rescue my whole family. When it started raining I was in Makkah on duty. I received a phone call from my family telling me that our house was being flooded by the rising water. I immediately asked permission to leave work and drove fast to my house in Guwaizah. I was shocked to find the ground floor of my house had been completely covered by the water. It was impossible to remove any of the furniture from the house. I managed to climb to the upper floor with my two wives and 12 children.” Al-Sulami said he broke his arm during the rescue.
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The media aren’t just piling on to Civil Defense, however. Saudi Gazette/Okaz also run this piece in which Civil Defense officials defend their operations:

Civil Defense defends its flood disaster performance
Ibrahim Alawi

JEDDAH – In the wake of public criticism, the Civil Defense has defended its rescue operations during and after the massive floods in the city.
Brigadier Muhammad Abdullah Al-Qarni, Director of the Media Center at the General Directorate of Civil Defense, said he believes his men did a good job considering the magnitude of the disaster. He was speaking at a press conference in the Support Center at the Old Airport in Jeddah.

“When we were assured that there would be no risk to the lives of our men, we intervened in an organized and considered manner and succeeded in rescuing many people with our land and air teams.”

Al-Qarni said the Civil Defense has provided shelter for more than 2,512 families consisting of 10,968 individuals.

He said the Civil Defense has now recommended setting up concrete barriers in Jeddah’s eastern valleys. The organization has identified all the valleys considered to be a threat to the Governorate. This information has been passed on to the Emir of Makkah.

The building of dams and barriers will be used for more than protection. It will also serve as a way to store water for the city, he added.

In response to a question, Al-Qarni said he was confident that the Civil Defense could evacuate many districts and residential areas close to Misk Lake, where the city’s raw sewage is contained. There are seven districts and residential areas close to the lake.
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