Hind Al-Sabeeh

KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sabeeh said yesterday that the compensation team tasked with assessing damage inflicted due to the heavy downpour last week will start receiving compensation requests from Sunday. Sabeeh, who also heads a team to follow up and deal with the repercussions of the rain and floods, said in a press statement that the requests for compensation will be received at the Public Authority for Compensations Assessment in Shamiya.

Finance ministry undersecretary and chairman of the compensation team Saleh Al-Saraawi later said compensation forms will be provided at the building of the compensation authority or through the website of finance ministry (www.mof.gov.kw). He added that the requests for compensation will be received from Sunday from 8:30 am to 1 pm. Meanwhile, the civil defense yesterday warned citizens and residents to be prepared for rainfall forecast in the coming hours. It appealed to people to ignore rumors, abstain from spreading them and seek accurate information from official sources. The government has already activated a contingency plan to cope with any more rain.

A senior official said on Tuesday that the government will help owners of damaged houses return to their homes as soon as possible. Ministry of Electricity and Water Undersecretary Mohammad Bushehri said the heavy rainfall and floods damaged many houses. Bushehri, head of a government team assessing damage of housing units, was speaking to Kuwait TV during a visit to block one in Fahaheel to examine houses damaged by the floods. "The government will take care of them," Bushehri said.