Some uae residents spent the night in their cars outside the tower, while others took shelter in hotels or the homes of relatives
More than 100 families living in the multistory tower in Muhaisnah 4 in Dubai have been evacuated from the premises late on Friday night (April 19) after its structure suffered damages.
At around 8:30 p.m., resident Nawal’s young son felt a tremor “like an earthquake” and his chair moved. “It only lasted a few seconds. I didn’t really feel it, so I thought it was just my husband’s imagination.” About an hour later, my husband’s co-worker called and told us of our “shock.” I was asked if I felt it. You must have felt that too. We thought it was an earthquake.
But hours later, Dubai Civil Defense officials knocked on their door and asked them to vacate the building immediately. Then she realized the seriousness of the situation. “One side of the building was damaged, cracked and leaning slightly to one side,” she said.
“The children were asleep at that point,” Nawal said. “I quickly grabbed my important documents and clothes, woke her up and ran downstairs.
The tenant said recent heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates had caused flooding in the basement of the building. Despite pumping out water, the car remains submerged in the basement for five days.
Stay overnight
Nawal and her family spent the night in a car outside the building, along with other residents of Apartment 108. “While talking with other tenants, she noticed that tenants on one side of the building were feeling the effects of the lean more than the other side,” she said. “One of the neighbors who lived on the first floor also sustained minor injuries in the impact.
At this time, the building owner, civil defense and several government agencies were on the scene.” They worked quickly to seal off the building and ensure its safety,” Nawal said. “We didn’t know where to go or what to do, so we waited outside.”
Another resident who spent the night outside was Lakshmi, who was in the shopping center at the time of the incident. “We were shopping in Deira city center when a neighbor called us to ask what had happened,” said Lakshmi, who has lived in the building for more than two years.
“When I rushed back, the police had completely sealed off the building,” she said. “We waited outside for hours until the police allowed the family to go back from floor to floor of the building to retrieve their belongings.
Lakshmi and her husband returned to the apartment. It was almost 6 a.m. when we arrived.” Return to the 9th floor. “We packed two suitcases with documents and clothes and left,” she said. “Luckily, our other car was on the ground floor, so we were allowed to pick it up. When I last spoke to neighbors, people with cars on the second basement floor were still not allowed to drive from their “basements,” Nawal said. “There was already water in the basement and some tenants couldn’t get their cars out.
The future is uncertain.
Nawal and her family have been moved into a hotel apartment in Qusais, and the building owner promised to reimburse the cost of the stay. Meanwhile, Lakshmi’s family is taking shelter with a relative in Bur Dubai. Both are uncertain about the future.
“We have our renewal due in October,” said Lakshmi. “However, now we are unsure — we don’t know when the building will be deemed fit to be inhabitable again and even if it is cleared, we don’t know whether we want to continue living here. Right now, we are in a state of limbo, but we will have to decide soon.”
Nawal, who returned to the building late on Saturday to retrieve some more of her belongings, said several people were working around the clock on the site. “There were Civil Defence authorities, building surveyors, contractors and many other people,” she said. “It did not look like the matter would be resolved quickly and easily.
“So right now, we are looking at alternative long-term arrangements. It was disturbing to go through the storm UAE faced on April 16, and now being uprooted from our homes is a shock. We are thankful that everyone is safe, but we are worried about the future.”