Following record-breaking rains that caused severe flooding, the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday (Apr 24) that $544 million will be allocated for restoring Emirati residents' homes.

Following record-breaking rains that caused severe flooding, the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday (Apr 24) that $544 million will be allocated for restoring Emirati residents' homes. "We learned great lessons in dealing with severe rains," said Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum after a cabinet meeting. "A ministerial committee was assigned to follow up on this file... and disburse compensation in cooperation with the rest of the federal and local authorities," said Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai, added. The announcement came over a week after the nation of deserts endured damage by an unparalleled flood that turned streets into rivers and caused major disruptions to Dubai Airport. At least four people were killed by the excessive rainfall: three Filipino workers and one an Emirati. An official toll has not been disclosed by UAE officials. Also read: Watch | Video shows Dubai's record-breaking storm, netizens react According to the official Oman News Agency, the storm killed at least 21 people in Oman on April 14. Then, before waning last Wednesday, it wreaked the United Arab Emirates. At least 2,155 flights were canceled, 115 were diverted, and the airport in Dubai did not reach full capacity again until Tuesday. "The weather condition that the UAE experienced during the previous days was unprecedented in its severity... but we are a country that learns from every experience... and develops itself, and the competent authorities immediately began studying the state of the infrastructure," the UAE cabinet said. "Now that Dubai and the Emirates have overcome the strongest hurricane and rains in their history, we must acknowledge, with national concern and self-criticism, that there has been an unreasonable and unacceptable failure and collapse in services and crisis management that is not commensurate with the existence of the best management and the best infrastructure in the world. We hope that this will not be repeated in the future," prominent Emirati analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdulla wrote on X. (With inputs from agencies)

UAE allocates $544 million for flood-hit homes; 'We learned great lessons,' says PM Sheikh Mohammed

The Dubai government will spend a record 66.4 billion dirhams&nbsp;in 2020 as part of its budget, hiking outlays to stimulate the economy and support the Expo 2020 world fair, state news agency WAM tweeted.

The figure is higher than the 56.8 billion dirhams budgeted in 2019, which was a marginal increase from 2018, according to its budget plan last year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/sales-of-grounded-boeing-737-max-gather-pace-at-dubai-airshow-263161">Dubai</a>, which is hosting the Expo 2020 from October, had earlier projected its economy will grow 3.2 per cent&nbsp;in 2020, faster than the 2.1 per cent&nbsp;growth in 2019.

Dubai - with a diversified trade and tourism economy and one of the seven territories of the United Arab Emirates - is banking on Expo 2020 to boost economic activity as the event, organisers say, could attract 11 million foreign visitors.

Dubai has faced a real estate market downturn since prices peaked in 2014, following a recovery in the aftermath of a property crash in 2009.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum also adopted a three-year budget cycle from 2020 to 2022 with total expenditure of 196 billion dirhams, the Dubai Media Office said in a separate tweet.

The Dubai government will spend a record 66.4 billion dirhams in 2020 as part of its budget, hiking outlays to stimulate the economy and support the Expo 2020 world fair, state news agency WAM tweeted.

The Dubai government will spend a record 66.4 billion dirhams in 2020 as part of its budget, hiking outlays to stimulate the economy and support the Expo 2020 world fair, state news agency WAM tweeted. The figure is higher than the 56.8 billion dirhams budgeted in 2019, which was a marginal increase from 2018, according to its budget plan last year. Dubai, which is hosting the Expo 2020 from October, had earlier projected its economy will grow 3.2 per cent in 2020, faster than the 2.1 per cent growth in 2019. Dubai - with a diversified trade and tourism economy and one of the seven territories of the United Arab Emirates - is banking on Expo 2020 to boost economic activity as the event, organisers say, could attract 11 million foreign visitors. Dubai has faced a real estate market downturn since prices peaked in 2014, following a recovery in the aftermath of a property crash in 2009. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum also adopted a three-year budget cycle from 2020 to 2022 with total expenditure of 196 billion dirhams, the Dubai Media Office said in a separate tweet.

Dubai 2020 budget sets record spending to boost growth, support Expo 2020

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UAE allocates $544 million for flood-hit homes; 'We learned great lessons,' says PM Sheikh Mohammed

Dubai 2020 budget sets record spending to boost growth, support Expo 2020