57 homes recorded damage during heavy rains including 30 from Male’

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) states a total of 57 homes recorded damage during the recent spell of bad weather experienced across the Maldives including 30 homes in capital Male’ City.

The authority shared the latest updates on incident reports from across the Maldives during the spells of bad weather in December.

In this regard, three islands recorded heavy rain and flooding last Tuesday: N. Henbadhoo, N. Kendhikulhudhoo and Lh. Kurendhoo.

According to NDMA, floods impacted 80 households in Henbadhoo, however, the situation was not severe enough to require any residents of these households to be moved to temporary housing.

The authority, noting they have received forms from 27 households in Henbadhoo following the completion of damage assessment, said it was undertaking efforts to verify and process the forms. Damage reported from these households included damage to the house itself and damage to household items.

Meanwhile, NDMA said the authority, MNDF and Maldivian Red Crescent’s hotline received 98 calls seeking assistance following floods caused by heavy rain in Male’ City on Saturday. They included 70 calls requesting sandbags, 21 calls to report damages and seven calls requesting mandatory assistance.

To control floods from entering, NDMA, in collaboration with MNDF, Male’ City Council and Ministry of Public Works, placed 304 sandbags across 49 locations.

The authority, in collaboration with Red Cresent, also conducted rapid assessments at 12 households identified to require immediate assistance. They also moved 32 people from eight households to temporary housing for one day and provided meals. However, these families have reverted back to their normal lives as of present, added NDMA.

Flooding following heavy rain remains a longstanding issue in Male’. Despite efforts from various administrations to address that issue, it remains unresolved to date.