JEDDAH: Jeddah residents have become obsessed about the weather following the recent flash floods that struck the city killing 118 people and causing huge damage to property and vehicles. Jeddawis have become so fearful of further rain and flooding that the Saudi meteorological office says it is receiving up to 1,000 phone calls every hour.
Before the floods, there were hardly any. People hardly cared about the weather in Jeddah, — still less talked about it. Now the weather, rain and floods are the main topic of conversation. The talk about floods has overtaken the subject of swine flu or the stock market.
Many families have taken extra precautions to deal with any situation in case of a dramatic downpour. It is reported that some have even bought rubber boats and kept them at home for use in the event of flash floods. It is something that no Jeddah family would ever have thought about in the past, living in a city that rarely gets rain once a year.
The attraction of a cloudy Jeddah has changed too. In the past a cloudy Jeddah meant a good day out. Children would even play truant to enjoy the cooler weather. Since the floods, some families do not send their kids to school if it is cloudy. In recent days there has been frightened talk about more heavy rain hitting Jeddah.
“I instructed the school to call me if there is rain,” said Abdul Aziz Turkistani, a government employee. He added that on the first day of school, his children were kept at home because of rumors that Jeddah would have more rains. Hasan Al-Qahtani, spokesman for the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, said that the center receives between 800 to 1,000 calls an hour inquiring about the weather and chances of rain.
The Nov. 25 floods have caused psychological problems for some residents. Mazin Abdul Majeed, a specialist at a private hospital in Jeddah, said that the horror of the disaster is still fresh in the minds of many, especially images of people drowning and the dead bodies floating in flood waters. “The images resurface immediately when there are clouds or rain,” he said. “The recent floods struck fear in many people’s hearts. There is now unjustified concern among families about their kids. This feeling will continue for sometime,” he explained.
