More than a week after the unprecedented rainfall and subsequent flooding, the emirate of Sharjah is slowly getting back on its feet. On Wednesday, the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Team confirmed the reopening of all roads in the emirate, which had been blocked after the heavy rains.

A quick drive through Sharjah showed that most areas have been completely cleared of water and some streets had small puddles on the side. A part of the road by the Corniche street has been raised with sand and gravel to allow an easier flow of traffic.

The relief tent next to King Faisal Mosque has also been removed. Over the last few days, the tent had provided free medical services to several affected residents. Authorities said that all official donation channels will remain open.

Several petrol pumps remain closed. At one open pump, a convenience store employee said that it was the first day they had opened after the rain.

“I stay near Mega Mall and when I got out to come to work that day, there was water up till my waist,” said S.K. “I waded through it and came to work. By then, the water had already gotten into all the pumps. Our store was not affected too much but it had a lot of water. So we didn’t open the store. Today is the first day we have opened up for business. I am relieved that things are going back to normal.”

Volunteering efforts

Some volunteer groups said they had wrapped up their relief operations after the return to normalcy. United PRO group had set up a relief tent next to King Faisal Mosque and distributed over 25,000 kits including food and other essentials over the last week.

“We had over 40 volunteers working from 10 am till almost 3am,” said Vice President Abdul Gafoor. “We had a lot of contributions from corporates and individuals. Sharjah authorities also fully supported and helped us to meet the demand. On Thursday afternoon, we wound up our activities there as life returned back to normalcy.”

According to Abdul Gafoor, the outpouring of support from the community was heart-warming. “Both Emiratis and expats contributed immensely to our campaign,” he said. “From foodstuff to medicines to essentials, we got a lot of donations. It was really heart-warming to see how the community came together to support each other. We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to be able to deliver these contributions to the people who needed it the most.”

More work to be done

Even as things normalized, some social workers and volunteers said that more work was needed to help those who lost everything in the rain and flood.

“The water has receded and families are now able to get access to essentials,” said entrepreneur and philanthropist Kanwal Malik. “However, there are many who lost everything in the flood and need some support to get back on their feet.

"A volunteer group that I run has been busy sourcing home appliances like fridges and washing machines for those who need it. We have also been helping families with furniture and other things they might need for rebuilding their lives,” Malik added.

According to Malik, one of the stories that really touched her heart was a mother-of-two who sought her help.

“Her husband was ill and had been unable to work,” she said. “The lady was already struggling to pay the hospital bills when the rain damaged all the appliances in the villa they lived in. She reached out to me requesting for a fridge with freezer and a washing machine."

"There are many such stories where people who were struggling to make ends meet suddenly finding themselves in a hopeless situation. So we will continue our work trying to help these people.”

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