It is always heartening to hear stories about the triumph of humanity in the midst of the devastation that a natural calamity has caused. When people rise up to help one another, unmindful of geographical borders and distance, it tends to restore one's faith in the essential goodness of people. The reaction of the people and the authorities in UAE to the flood situation in Kerala highlights this:
The Kerala floods have claimed hundreds of lives, displaced and caused losses to lakhs of people; requiring urgent aid. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s Prime Minister was quick to respond to the flood situation, which has been the worst in almost a century. An emergency committee was formed in order to send aid to “our brothers in India”. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also issued a statement that the UAE has pledged $100 million (or Rs 700 crores) to help people who have suffered in the floods.
Sheikh Maktoum said that the UAE and the Indian community would unite to offer relief to those affected. He acknowledged the fact that the Indians are the biggest diaspora in the UAE and that people from Kerala are a major portion of this. “The people of Kerala have always been and are still part of our success story in the UAE,” he was quoted as having said.
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, is an Indian expat in the UAE. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of VPS Healthcare and he has announced aid of 26 million AED to the flood affected regions of the South.
Businessmen of Indian origin in the UAE have collected together and announced aid of 125 million rupees for flood relief. The MD of Lulu group announced Rs 5 crore aid, Chairman of the Fathima Healthcare group announced a similar amount, and others have also pledged significant amounts in aid for medications, emergency treatments and disease control in the aftermath of the flood waters receding.
Another country that has a number of Indian expats living and working there is Qatar. This country also has decided to join the rescue and rebuilding efforts in Kerala with a $5 million aid.
The story of Jiji Philip, Sheeba and their children is perhaps not unlike many other stories that we are hearing about the situation in Kerala. Homes inundated, provisions and essentials washed away, no food or electricity to sustain…people have lived through this or worse, the less fortunate have succumbed! Unknown fishermen, among the many members of civil society who have banded together to rescue countless others, were the ones that came to rescue this family. They were then transported to Trivandrum and then on to home in Dubai. Though their Kerala home is still partly submerged, the family is thankful to have returned home even if they had nothing but their passports and wallet; with a credit card to see them through!
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