JEDDAH/MAKKAH/YANBU: The heavy rains that hit Jeddah on Tuesday evening and on Wednesday after midnight created minor floods with water gathering on roads and empty plots of land, bringing back memories of the Nov. 25 floods that left over 120 people dead.
The new bout of rains created an extra burden on the Civil Defense, which is still searching for 39 people missing since last month’s floods. The Civil Defense has now been forced to come up with new plans, especially in dealing with large new pools of stagnant water in the Al-Harazat, Al-Sawaed and Quwaizah districts, which have been plagued by traffic jams due to the new rain.
Bandar Al-Shamrani, a resident of the Al-Sawaed area, said roads leading to Al-Mahameed and Al-Faw neighborhoods had been flooded and that cars were damaged as a result. “Roads were badly damaged and the floods brought along mud and debris which caused a lot of problems,” he added.
Abdul Raheem Al-Sulami, a resident of the Al-Harazat district, said his car broke down because of the water. “My car broke down and I got scared as the water level began to rise, especially having seen so many clips on the Internet about last month’s floods,” he said, “I managed to start my car again and get to safety.”
Mustalq Al-Otaibi, a resident of the Al-Harazat area, said his neighborhood had been affected by a huge power outage. “People became scared fearing a repeat of that Wednesday (Nov. 25). The power outage lasted from 9 p.m. till midnight. Like many other people, I tried to leave following the power cut but I couldn’t, as the roads had been blocked,” he added. Schools in the area east of Al-Haramain Expressway were closed with students in many other schools across the city not turning up fearing flashfloods.
Brig. Muhammad Al-Qarni, director of the Civil Defense’s Crisis Management Center, said the Civil Defense was on full alert before the rain started. Teams of Civil Defense had been stationed near the Musk Lake, he said, adding that the situation was stable.
He said that most of the reports he received were from people who had been injured or stuck inside their homes. He comforted Jeddah residents by saying that there is no threat of flash floods like last month.
Meanwhile, in Yanbu it rained for three hours, causing water to flood homes and cut off roads. Forty people who had been stuck inside their homes were rescued. Schools witnessed a huge absence with many parents not allowing their children to go to school. Police reported that a number of people detained at a police station in Yanbu had been evacuated due to flooding.
The rain also caused power outages in a number of Yanbu neighborhoods.
The coastal road that links the old Yanbu to Yanbu Industrial City was also closed because of rain and so were a number of other important roads.
The Civil Defense in Yanbu implemented an emergency plan as a precautionary measure and instructed people to stay away from valleys and roads that lead to them. In Makkah, the Civil Defense was on alert following heavy rains. Residents had been monitoring the skies for clouds. Many residents had also parked their cars on top of mountains in case of floods.
There were also heavy rains in the Bahra area where the Civil Defense closed down roads leading to the town from the Old Makkah Road. The heavy rain struck Al-Aziziya district and caused a power outage. Workers from the electricity company found it difficult to get to the area due to flooded roads.
— With input from
Anwar Al-Sayed
