Remember the fire? 2 years ago today, Tamweel Tower residents lost more than just homes

It is two years ago today that the 34-storey Tamweel Tower in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) was gutted and its residents stranded on the street in the middle of the night.

On the night of November 18, hundreds of residents lost their homes and they have not returned to what they once called their home in JLT since.

“Our kids still ask about ‘our home’,” says Reem Youssef, a Lebanese woman who used to own and live in an apartment in the tower.

Her two daughters, aged 3 and 6, still find it difficult to understand why they will never see their ‘pink room’ again.

Now, the family of four lives in a villa in Furjan, on the ground floor. For Reem, this is home now, but not all members of the family agree.

“My husband would like to return to Tamweel Tower once it is reconstructed. It was our first home in Dubai, and we really believed in JLT as a community. We loved it there. But for me, this is all gone. I do not believe in the place anymore.

“I am not afraid to live there again,” the mother of two says.

“But I feel very bad about what happened. We expected to be helped, and it would have made us feel better.”

The family spent the first year after the accident in a hotel, not knowing what to expect from the reconstruction of their building.

When one year had passed, they decided to invest their money in a place of their own. By that time, they had lost their belongings, their investment and a lot of money had been spent on hotel and moving bills.

The same story goes for Mark, (name changed)  a previous Tamweel resident who lost Dh100,000 in the fire, including belongings such as clothes, shoes, furniture and electronics, in addition to the costs during the aftermath.

“I am still struggling to replace some of the documents that was lost in the fire,” he says.

Mark and his family now live in Sports City, where they have built up a new life.

“We have suffered a major setback, but I do not really have the intention to replace what I once had. The affect this event has had on us personally is much bigger,” he said.

“My wife was especially affected. She still freaks out every time a fire alarm rings. She sleeps with a bag filled with essentials next to her at all times.

“We live in a villa on the ground floor, and we have multiple exits in case we need to escape. We pay more for the place we live in now, but it is worth the money, because we feel safer here,” he said referring to his old home.

“This is not about the materialistic loss,” agrees Reem. “Yes, we have lost a lot, but what is most important is how we feel about what happened,” she uttered.

The slow progress in the reconstruction of the tower is a thorn in the eye of the residents.

“If we saw that things are moving forward, it would probably soothe us a little. When I look at the building still at the same state as two years ago, I just do not understand what has happened. I want answers.”

Mark voices the same sentiment. Although he does not want to live in Tamweel Tower again, the sight of the gutted building is like an open wound.

“It hurts every time I pass by. It is staring at us, as a constant reminder of what happened. It has left a scar on us, and on the city,” he said.

So far, no contract for the reconstruction of Tamweel Tower has been signed.

In the latest update, Emirates 24|7 was told that the process has been delayed due to complications regarding the insurance claim.

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