Volunteers help rain victims in Eastern Province

[al-Hasani]

Saudi Gazette report

AL-AHSA — The recent rain in the Eastern Province has led to the birth of a volunteering group comprising young Saudi men who are determined to help victims and repair the resulting damage.

According to a report published by Al-Hayat newspaper on Tuesday, the volunteers counted the damaged houses, provided the victims with needed assistance and repaired the graves that were washed away by the rainwater, especially in the towns of Al-Ahsa and Qatif.

The volunteers drained the water from the cemeteries, restored the graves to their previous condition and repaired a number of destroyed houses. Ahmed Al-Sayem, head of the volunteering team, said they were greatly affected by the sight of grave remains floating in water.

"We had to work fast to restore them to their old condition. Many people responded to our call and joined the team," he said.

He said the volunteers had refused offers of financial aid, preferring to depend on their own meager resources.

Al-Sayem said the idea of forming a volunteering team came to him when he came home from the mosque and his mother asked him what the condition of affected people in the poor areas might be.

He said he immediately used his Twitter account to ask a number of his friends and relatives to join him in establishing a volunteering group to help the victims.

"Our group started with 16 members and this number soon increased to 80," he said.

Al-Sayem said in their first group chat on messaging service WhatsApp, his friends expressed readiness to help any victim and soon received responses from other people who wanted to join their initiative.

He said: “A number of citizens have welcomed our initiative and expressed their readiness to support us in any way that might serve our purpose. “The citizens even supplied us with free meals.”

Al-Sayem said a number of teachers, managers and senior government officials have joined their groups and provided them with advice and guidance in their work.

"These people refused to appear before the cameras because they were only after reward from Allah in their voluntary work," he said.

He said the members of the team were deployed in Al-Ahsa districts and residential quarters and were asked to make a comprehensive survey of the city to assess its needs.

Al-Sayem recalled that the team was able to restore electricity supply to four houses that were facing power outages.

"There were electricians and wielders among us who made our work easy," he said.

He said the team was also able to rescue a sick woman from her house that was surrounded by water and took her to paramedics who were waiting in an ambulance.

Al-Sayem said he was proud one volunteer worked single-handedly to rescue 16 people whose cars got stuck in the mud before his own engine died.

He said: “Many of the volunteers refused to take rest or work in shifts. They insisted on working from early morning until late at night.”

Saudi Gazette - Volunteers help rain victims in Eastern Province

Excellent. Community work is very much encouraged in Islam.