Dubai tourists and some residents are now having to pay higher than usual for accommodation as some establishments hiked prices for hotel rooms after Tuesday’s record-level rainfall, which left some homes flooded and major roads closed.
As rescue and clean-up operations continued across the city, residents whose homes were affected by flooding had to be moved to hotels, leading to conflicts between some tourists and residents.
“Honestly, it’s a scary situation. I love Dubai and come here all the time. But I think it’s unethical for a company to try to profit from people’s plight, and I don’t think so. “If I don’t, I’ll feel very bad [because] if I want to leave to escape the rising prices, I can’t do that now,” said the former UAE resident, who took a vacation less than a year ago. Mona Ireland, 41, told me after arriving in Dubai. I booked a hotel in the Motor City a week in advance to be closer to her family.
“I was thinking of extending my stay and checked with the hotel before the storm. They said there was plenty of capacity so it was OK to extend,” she added. “I spoke to reception the day before checkout (Wednesday) and was told that due to flooding the hotel was fully booked and people needed to be moved to hotels. I stayed at a hotel.” Hotel room rates range from Dh1,000 to Dh8,000 per night, typically starting at around Dh4,444.
Alex Jackson, 35, on holiday in Dubai from the UK, and his friend are “literally going to sleep in the lobby because they don’t have any family in town and can’t afford to pay astronomical hotel prices for long” in the city. “Until I left,” he said.
Hotels and organizers in the city we contacted declined to comment, but a hotel employee who requested anonymity said: “We know everyone is suffering, but all hotels… has raised prices, so we have to follow suit.”
Authorities urged the public to stay at home and not go to the airport unless their airline flight is confirmed. Tourists will be informed that the airport is still open, but with a limited number of flights.
Reports have also surfaced on social media and online forums of tourists and residents being charged exorbitant taxi fares throughout the city, with some journeys within the city exceeding Dh700.
Dubai’s community unites
But the community is joining forces with local business owners and local initiatives across Dubai to do all they can to help their fellow residents.
Jeep Nation, a non-profit community of approximately 1,000 Jeep owners and outdoor enthusiasts who typically spend their weekends in the deserts and mountains of the United Arab Emirates, will be driving around the city starting Tuesday and offering car assistance. Rescue flooded areas and guide stranded people to safety.
“Some people are stuck in their homes for days without electricity, food or water, so we deliver wherever we can drive,” said Jordan’s Saif Kadumi, president of Jeep Nation. “I’m doing it,” he said.
“Authorities are understandably overburdened and busy dealing with dangerous and massively flooded areas, so they need time to reach people. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to
Kadumi, a 34-year-old health and safety engineer, lives in one of Dubai’s most flooded residential areas. from the Mudon community in southern Dubai, and is lending its support along with 10 other vehicles that are unofficially supporting Dubai. Civil defense forces carried out community rescue operations where they attempted to use rubber boats to evacuate stranded residents.
Over the past few days, around 200 Jeep owners have gathered together in affected areas such as Sheikh Zayed Road, Barsha South, Jumeirah Village Circle, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Al Khail Road and Al Quoz. We are providing as much support as possible.
“It feels good to be honest and it’s enough to be appreciated by the people we helped,” he added. “The UAE and the pandemic have taught us many things. Above all, when people are there for each other and join hands and work together, we can achieve the impossible.
Farah Kadom is an Iraqi-Canadian and the owner of Bro Out Beauty Bar on Jumeirah Beach Road. “He drove his customers there himself.” There was severe road flooding during the storm. He returned home on Tuesday near Al Manara, an area where he was killed. “She waited for an Uber for over two hours as I was finishing up work, but she never came,” Kadom said.
“On the way back to JLT, when I dropped them off at Barsha, I found two other women stranded on a flooded road and without umbrellas, so Kadom also delayed their departure and took them to a shopping mall. “I went home for a few hours to help someone in need,” he said, “and that makes sense. If you were in that situation, you’d want someone else to do the same.” From
Home F&B establishments are also leveraging social media.” Business Bay, Financial Center, Al Bada, Warqa 2, Barsha South 2, Meadows, Green Community, Dubai Investment Park, and most of the city. A page that publicly offers support to affected communities. In addition, repair shops in the city have also taken to social media to offer free repairs to flood-damaged cars.