Dubai Residents Left Powerless and Waterless Days After Devastating Floods
Last week’s unprecedented rainfall and subsequent flooding wreaked havoc on several buildings and communities across Dubai, leaving numerous residents grappling with the aftermath. As the city struggles to recover from the deluge, many inhabitants find themselves enduring days without access to essential utilities such as electricity and tap water, forcing them to seek alternative solutions to cope with the disruption to their daily lives.
In Dubai’s The Greens, numerous apartment blocks have been inundated by floodwaters, leaving residents in these buildings without power and running water since Tuesday, April 16. Rupa Sarkar from dubai, an Indian resident of The Greens, shared her experience, stating, “It’s been almost five days since the authorities began efforts to clear the water from the basement. In our building, electricity had to be cut off due to the extensive flooding in the basement.”
With electricity restoration efforts still underway, residents like Rupa have been relying on the support of their community. Friends have stepped in to provide food during the initial days of the crisis, while the building management later arranged temporary accommodation in hotels until electricity could be fully restored. Rupa expressed uncertainty about the current status of electricity, stating, “We are checking out of the hotel on Monday evening. The building management has arranged generators as temporary solutions, but we are unsure if electricity has been fully restored yet.”
Similarly, in Discovery Gardens, Indian expatriate Veera Akula faced significant challenges due to the prolonged power outage. “On Tuesday, precisely at 3 pm, the building lost power after water inundated the transformers and damaged some wires. Since then, power has not been restored,” Veera explained. With no backup generator available and water also cut off, Veera resorted to staying in a hotel until the water supply was restored on Friday in Dubai. However, the absence of electricity left him in darkness at night, prompting him to seek refuge with friends in neighboring buildings while also venturing out to charge his phone and grab meals .
Al Barsha resident Ihsan Derwish, an Egyptian mother, found herself confronting similar hardships when her residence lost electricity on Wednesday, April 17. Left alone with her children while her husband was stranded in Sharjah until Thursday, Ihsan faced the daunting task of navigating through the challenges brought on by the power outage. “The first day was extremely tough, especially because I had to carry my toddler down six floors,” Ihsan recounted.
Despite the adversity, Ihsan found solace in the kindness of her neighbors, who provided invaluable assistance during this trying time. However, the absence of electricity also meant that her children were unable to attend their online classes, adding another layer of difficulty to an already challenging situation in Dubai . With her husband’s return on Thursday, Ihsan made the difficult decision to seek refuge with her sister-in-law, prioritizing her family’s well-being amidst the ongoing hardships.
As Dubai continues to recover from the aftermath of the devastating floods, residents remain resilient, drawing strength from their communities while navigating through the challenges posed by the prolonged disruptions to essential utilities. While authorities work tirelessly to restore normalcy, the spirit of solidarity and mutual support among residents serves as a beacon of hope in the face of adversity.
As the days pass, the toll of the crisis becomes increasingly apparent, with residents enduring not only the physical discomforts of living without electricity and running water but also the emotional strain of uncertainty and displacement. For many, the inability to access basic amenities such as internet connectivity for online schooling compounds the challenges, highlighting the broader implications of the crisis on education and daily routines.
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