Rains to test Jeddah’s flood preparedness

Threats of floods and rainfall in Jeddah were eliminated two months ago with the building of seven dams in 18 valleys, announced Undersecretary for Sustainable Development and Environmental Affairs at the General Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection Abdulbaset Serafi. He said rains will determine the efficiency of these dams in averting floods and catastrophes during the next 20 days when the rainy season sets in.
He said that Jeddah will experience rainfall within the next 20 days. The last heavy rainfall in the city in 2010 led to catastrophic floods.
Shahir Al-Hazmi, general director of analysis and forecasting at the presidency, said the rainy season in the western part of the Kingdom will start in November and last for three months. “Forecasts for rain are more accurate when made 3 to 5 days before the actual rains, while medium-to-accurate forecasts can be made five to 10 days prior to rainfall,” he explained.