Mashable: The United Arab Emirates has pledged funds to help citizens repair their homes which were damaged by excessive flooding last week.

As the residents of the Middle Eastern nation reel from the damages of the heavy rainfall – the heaviest recorded ever to hit the country left behind, the United Arab Emirates has a Dh2 billion relief fund to fix the houses which were damaged in the rain.

According to the Khaleej Times, a ministerial committee has been set up to assess the damages caused by last week’s record-breaking rains and floods and to distribute compensation.

H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, set out the aid as he chaired a meeting of the UAE Cabinet at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi after calling the rains “unprecedented”.

ترأست اليوم اجتماعاً لمجلس الوزراء بقصر الوطن بأبوظبي .. ناقشنا خلاله نتائج وآثار الحالة الجوية التي مرت بها الدولة خلال الأيام السابقة .. الحالة كانت غير مسبوقة في شدتها .. ولكننا دولة تتعلم من كل تجربة .. وتطور نفسها .. حيث تعاملت غرف العمليات المركزية مع أكثر من 200 ألف بلاغ..… pic.twitter.com/Yq7hEAhmHW — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 24, 2024

“In the Council of Ministers today, we approved an amount of 2 billion dirhams to address the damage to citizens’ homes,” the UAE leader wrote on X/ Twitter.

وفي مجلس الوزراء اليوم أقررنا مبلغ 2 مليار درهم لمعالجة الأضرار التي لحقت ببيوت المواطنين ومساكنهم وتم تكليف لجنة وزارية بمتابعة هذا الملف وحصر أضرار المساكن وصرف التعويضات بالتعاون مع بقية الجهات الاتحادية والمحلية.

وشكلنا في مجلس الوزراء أيضاً اليوم لجنة لحصر أضرار السيول… pic.twitter.com/1ZzoJ8Xleg — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 24, 2024

ما حدث من حالة جوية استثنائية في الدولة كان خير لنا .. حيث امتلأت السدود.. وجرت الوديان بأمطار الخير.. وامتلأ المخزون الجوفي المائي.. وتعلمنا دروساً كبيرة في التعامل مع الأمطار الشديدة في مدننا المتقدمة.. ووضعنا أيدينا على مجالات التطوير ورفع الاستعداد والجاهزية.. وجعلنا أكثر… pic.twitter.com/R1SjSMyqWE — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 24, 2024

The UAE control rooms reportedly dealt with more than 200,000 distressed calls related to the damages caused to residential properties due to heavy flooding.

Last week, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the Emirates received a year’s worth of rainfall in 24 hours. The country was hit with the worst storms in a record 75 years of history and recorded 6.04 billion cubic metres of rain in a single day. It is important to note that the country receives 6.7 billion cubic metres of rain annually.

The rains resulted in flooding of multiple communities and homes. Flights were cancelled, and schools and offices were closed as the waterlogged roads disrupted the public transport services.

شكراً لكل من عمل ويعمل من أجل دبي
بجهودكم وتفانيكم ستبقى دبي الأجمل

A special thank you to all who have contributed to our city. With your efforts, Dubai will remain a beautiful place to be pic.twitter.com/FvlADK5pzX — Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) April 21, 2024

Over 17,000 security and emergency services personnel came to help as the country dealt with the aftermath of the heavy rains.