Business owners in Fujairah were counting the cost of the flooding in the emirate that left a trail of destruction and forced them to close for three days.
Shops along Fujairah Corniche were among the worst hit by the floodwaters that caused shock and devastation earlier this week.
It was back to business on Saturday morning for restaurant and shop owners, who were hoping to see a return to some kind of normality, after several days of chaos caused by the deluge.
While some will be able to cover the cost of the repairs and replace damaged stock through their insurance, others told The National they would have to bear the expenses from their own pockets.
We’re open again for business but most of our customers are staying at home because of the flooding
Shihab Kadavanda,
Ahla Zahra Groceries
“We had fridges, air-conditioning units damaged by about two feet [60 centimetres] of flooding across the entire store,” said Mohamed Musthafa, manager of Universal Electronics near the corniche.
“We suffered about Dh150,000 worth of damage to our stock, just from the water seeping across the main showroom and storage area.
“We were also closed for three days which was a significant loss of income as we take about Dh40,000 minimum a day on average.”
While the water damage to stock was covered by his company’s insurance, there was no way they would be able to recover the lost earnings, he added.
Emergency teams have been working around the clock since Tuesday night to rescue hundreds of people in various flood-affected areas of Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.
Seven people were found dead as a result of the flooding, authorities announced on Friday.
More than 800 people were rescued and thousands more were placed in temporary accommodation, after widespread flooding caused by the unseasonal summer deluge.
Unexpected trade
Many of the businesses on Fujairah Corniche remained closed on Saturday, their entrances still waterlogged, making them all but impossible to reach for most customers.
However, some were open for business and determined to make up for lost earnings and time.
“We had no electricity for three days and it only came back on last night,” said Abul Razzaque, owner of Sahal Mobile Phones.
“The water was more than two feet high and it damaged a lot of equipment, especially mobile phone parts that we use for repairs.
“The damage isn’t covered by insurance so it’s going to have to be paid for by us. I reckon we’ve suffered damage around the value of Dh25,000.”
It was not all doom and gloom for Mr Razzaque though, as he said his company had picked up some unexpected trade as a result of the flooding.
“We’ve not had many customers this morning so far, but we’ve had a few who all want us to repair their phones that were damaged by the flooding,” he said.
The floodwaters caused more than financial damage to another business along the corniche.
“We had a computer with most of our files on it destroyed by the flooding,” said Naranya Sami, owner of Eye Care Centre opticians.
“I estimate the damage will end up costing us about Dh10,000 in total,” including lost earnings.
When The National visited the store, staff were busy repairing water damage to dozens of spectacle cases on the front counter as well as what was left of the company’s computer.
He said it may take a few days before customers return to the shops.
“We’re open again for business but most of our customers are staying at home because of the flooding,” said Shihab Kadavanda, manager of Ahla Zahra Groceries.
“You can’t blame them. People don’t want to wade through several feet of water to get to a shop.”
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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Credits
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Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
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Lexus LX700h specs
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Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
The Equaliser 2
Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
Three stars
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE SPECS
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Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
