110 homes damaged in flooding in Male’; some residents relocated

Flood damage has been reported from 110 homes in Male’ City, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), as the Maldivian capital experiences extensive flooding due to torrential rain.

A spokesperson from the NDMA told Sun on Sunday that the agency is working on moving residents of two homes to temporary shelters.

He said that flooding has also been reported from islands outside Male’. However, the extent of the damage is unclear, as the agency continues to collect information.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu had visited some of the homes affected in the flooding on Sunday night. He spoke to the residents and inquired about their wellbeing and the damage to household items.

Observing the damage to household items in one home, President Muizzu promised to send “immediate help.”

The rain, which began lashing the Male’ area on Saturday night, continued well into Sunday night, resulting in widespread flooding.

In addition to damaging homes, the bad weather has also resulted in cancellation of several flights at the Velana International Airport (VIA).

Maldives Meteorological Service initially issued an orange alert for the Male’ area on Sunday, before replacing it with a yellow alert for torrential rain and thunderstorms with gusts of 45 miles per hour.

Maldives has been experiencing bad weather since last week, due to the onset of the Northeast Monsoon (Iruvai Monsoon).

The national weather forecast service said the bad weather has been exacerbated by a low-pressure area formed over the Arabian Sea.

Soldiers have been deployed across the country to dewater flooded streets and stack sand bags in entrances of buildings to prevent flood water from seeping in.