In implementation of directives by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region and President of the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, the authority has offered shelter to 80 families of approximately 300 persons, whose building was affected by a road collapse in Abu Dhabi's Khalidiya area.
The ERC Abu Dhabi branch provided 130 rooms in six hotels to house families in a comfortable and convenient way.
Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Alfalahi, Secretary-General of the Emirates Red Crescent, said that the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan came within the framework of his keenness to provide the necessary protection for residents of the affected building and maintain their lives. It also came within his efforts to strengthen the role of the ERC in the domestic arena and work in coordination with the concerned authorities in case of emergency, as the authority is a supporting body to official authorities.
Alfalahi said that H.H. Sheikh Hamdan has been closely monitoring the damage to the building and its impact on the population, as well as his follow-up of the process of evacuation, sheltering and providing comfortable housing for them.
The Secretary-General stressed that the ERC moved quickly to ensure safety for residents of the building and the process of evacuation was made in cooperation with the competent authorities. He added that the authority is keen to provide adequate alternative housing, which takes into account the comfort of families and contributes to the normal conduct of their life.
He added that the ERC will be covering the costs of the accommodation process until the fate of the concerned building has been determined by experts and the civil defence, saying that the authority is waiting for assessment reports currently being prepared.
The ERC received an urgent appeal from the National Commission for Crisis and Emergency Management to provide shelter for residents in the effected building and to arrange the necessary care for families. The ERC worked in coordination with Civil Defence authorities to complete the process of evacuation and shelter.