41 people affected by flooding moved to temporary shelters

Total 41 people whose homes were damaged due to flooding following torrential rain in Male’ City on Sunday have been moved to temporary shelters, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

In a press briefing on Monday, NDMA’s Deputy CEO Mohamed Fikry said the 41 people moved to shelters were from eight different homes.

Fikry said that the NDMA received 180 reports of flood damage, including from private residences, shops, and government and private offices.

Most of the reports came from private residences. According to Fikry, total 164 homes reported flood damage.

He said that NDMA conducted special assessments on the private residences.

“We sent teams to these 164 homes to conduct initial rapid assessments. The teams sent to conduct initial rapid assessments visited the 164 homes, and worked to identify their immediate needs,” he said.

Fikry said the assessments showed that the residents of a dozen homes needed food and shelter.

He said that the residents of 11 homes were provided food and the residents of eight homes were moved to temporary shelters.

Fikry said the residents were put up in guesthouses in Male’ City. He said the rooms were booked for three days, and that the expense is covered by the state.

He said that the residents will need to clean up their homes and move back within the three days.

Fikry said that residents of homes whose beds were exposed to contaminated flood water will be provided with mattresses, but the cost will be cut from additional money they will receive from the NDMA following assessment.

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.