PH extends aid to stranded Filipinos in flood-hit Dubai

MANILA – The Philippine Consulate General in Dubai has extended assistance to Filipinos left stranded in the city’s airport after a storm brought record-high rain and flooding in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week.

In a text message on Friday night, Consul General Marford Angeles said the government received assistance requests from 39 transiting passengers and more than 37 residents.

“(The Migrant Workers’ Office) Dubai has prepared food packs and provided financial assistance to OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) and other residents affected by the severe weather conditions,” he said.

“For its part, the Consulate is closely monitoring the status of stranded passengers at the airport, and checking on the welfare of those who require assistance.”

The Consulate recently extended help to an elderly Filipino couple by facilitating their temporary accommodation at the airport and providing them with a change of clothing.

It also rendered assistance to 34 stranded Filipino students by providing them with food and water.

The Consulate, Angeles said, also conducted welfare checks on other Filipino passengers whose flights were canceled or delayed.

He said more than 1,000,000 Filipino nationals are residing in the UAE, at least 70 percent of whom are in the emirates of Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm al Quwain, Ajman, and Fujairah.

The majority of assistance requests received by the consulate so far originate from Dubai and Sharjah, he said.

“The unprecedented weather condition in the UAE affected most residents within the seven emirates. With the exception of a few, most areas were affected by floodwaters,” he added.

The Department of Migrant Workers earlier confirmed that three Filipino nationals died from the floods – two women who suffocated inside their vehicle, and a man whose vehicle fell into a sinkhole.

— Joyce Ann L. Rocamora (PNA)