ABU DHABI: The UAE committee tasked with assessing damage from floods held its first meeting to set priorities and plans to evaluate the condition of infrastructure, roads, and dams after the unprecedented weather event. The Committee was formed by the UAE Cabinet and is headed by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

The meeting was presided over by Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and attended by members of the Committee from various federal and local entities.

As a first order of business, the Minister outlined the tasks of the Committee that include assessing the damages and proposing solutions to address them. The meeting saw the formation of four technical committees, one for roads and infrastructure, one for houses and properties, one for dams and water facilities, and one for energy and water.

The Minister commended the swift response of field teams from various concerned entities that worked round the clock and contributed to protecting people’s lives an
d properties and expediting the recovery time, as service facilities, such as roads, bridges, and dams, went back to operation in a record time.

In line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Al Mazrouei directed the committees to immediately start assessing damages from the intense rainfall across the country and prepare an integrated operational plan to repair all damages of the infrastructure, roads, houses, and dams. He set one week as a deadline to receive a detailed report of this task.

The Minister highlighted that a team of experts was assigned to prepare a complete study on the need to expand dams and waterways, so they are ready for and can contain future extreme weather events. He said, ‘Our goal is to ensure the fast recovery of the infrastructure and to develop practical solutions that enhance the resilience of our infrastructure in the face of we
ather instability and emergencies.’

He added, ‘The Ministry, in coordination with various entities, has started assessing the damages of citizens’ homes and offering aid and logistic support to them. This will help us recover quickly and ease the suffering of affected citizens.’

Source: Emirates News Agency