BADR, 1 September 2006 — Power outage for days at a time during the stifling August heat of Saudi Arabia may not be the end of the world, but residents here are certainly hoping that — with nighttime temperatures hovering in the 40s (100s F) — officials get the air conditioners running again really soon.
Strong winds put Badr city and vicinity in the dark, the daily Al-Madinah reported yesterday, after the strong winds knocked down seven electrical towers.
Residents of Badr, Al-Rayes, Al-Wasta and Al-Mufarraq and other villages had to leave to Madinah, Yanbu and Jeddah in search for cool places to stay until the problem is solved. Some families had to wait in their homes hoping that electricity will return soon. Others paid a visit to relatives to stay with them and others spent the night inside their air-conditioned cars.
Marzook Abdullah, resident of Badr, said that the weather is unbearable without electricity. He said many of his neighbors had gone to Yanbu to visit family because it is only a half-an-hour drive. “Some people stayed at furnished apartment buildings,” he added. “I cannot afford to stay in a furnished apartment. I just hope that power supply will be restored soon.”
Muhammad Al-Subhi, a resident, said that electricity towers should not be built on valleys because strong winds and rains often destroy them. “I invite the electricity company officials to stay with us and see the condition here for themselves,” he said, adding that he wished the electricity company would provide generators as they work to repair the damages. He said power outage at the peak of summer heat is unbearable.
