The effects of the floods that swept through Jeddah last November are still playing out. Arab News reports that 75% of those who suffered damaged or lost real properties and buildings have been compensated by the government. Those who lost their vehicles aren’t quite so lucky. Only about 20% of those vehicles have been appraised and no one knows when the owners will be compensated. As is typically the case, everywhere, property owners aren’t entirely happy with the amount of compensation. They think the appraisers low-balled their estimates.

75% of Jeddah floods compensation paid out

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Finance has handed out 2,626 checks in compensation to people whose properties were lost or damaged during the flash floods in Jeddah last November, local Arabic daily and sister newspaper Al-Eqtisadiah reported on Friday.

A total of 3,519 checks are eventually expected to be distributed. The newspaper did not disclose the amount of money disbursed but quoted Maj. Ahmad Al-Harbi, Civil Defense media director for the flooding crisis, as saying that the checks represented 75 percent of the total compensation.

He said the compensation was for damaged homes, shops, warehouses, hospitals and other properties.

Al-Harbi said the search and rescue teams have searched in vain for 30 missing people for 117 days and will continue their operations in the most affected areas.

He added that a total of 2,071 out of about 10,000 damaged vehicles have been valued by special estimating committees so far. He did not say when the owners would be compensated.
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If owners are getting what’s due them, so are those alleged to have enabled the disaster. Also in Arab News is a report that a handful of notaries have resigned their positions rather than taking transfers. These individuals are among those being investigated for signing off on questionable property purchases in areas that had not been authorized for construction. The article points out that no criminal charges have been levied yet. The piece also quotes government officials’ saying that the men were not forced into resigning.

Ministry of Justice accepts resignation of four notaries

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Justice has accepted the resignation of four notaries, including a former chief of the notary office in Jeddah, Al-Madinah daily reported on Friday. The quartet was under orders to transfer to other offices or lower courts. Instead of accepting their new posts, they requested early retirement and then resigned when the ministry rejected their applications.

Their transfer orders coincided with the ongoing investigations of the committee headed by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, set up following the Nov. 25 floods in Jeddah. However, no criminal charges were brought against the four notaries.
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