Flood-hit Kulhudhuffushi starts cleanup as over 140 displaced residents wait to return home

Authorities in Kulhudhuffushi initiated efforts to clean up the city’s homes as the weather improved on Saturday, after heavy rain caused extensive flooding, leaving over 140 residents temporarily displaced.

The strengthening of the Southwest Monsoon, locally known as the Hulhungu Monsoon, has unleashed heavy rain and strong winds over parts of the Maldives the last couple of days. On Friday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that islands in HA. Atoll and HDh. Atoll reported massive damages, with over 140 people displaced in Kulhudhuffushi City alone. Two schools in the island were converted to makeshift shelters to accommodate them.

Kulhudhuffushi councilman Ibrahim Ahmed told Sun on Saturday that the weather has now improved.

He said that they were therefore working on cleaning up the damage and moving displaced residents back to their homes.

Two schools in the island were converted to makeshift shelters on Friday to accommodate the displaced residents. Ibrahim said that they were later moved to guesthouses.

“They were temporarily shifted to guesthouses. Efforts are underway to clean some of the houses. They can move back once the cleanup is done. But I don’t think everyone will be able to move back today. Some of the homes were severely damaged,” he said.

"The weather is clear now.”

The Maldives has been experiencing torrential rain and thunderstorms over the past few days. The bad weather, especially over northern and central parts of the country, has been attributed to the strengthening of the Hulhangu Monsoon due to low-pressure areas over the southwest Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, along with a circulation over the east-central Bay of Bengal.

The bad weather is forecasted to last through Saturday.