UAE experienced heaviest rainfall in decades

It’s been three days since the heavy rain hit Dubai and caused floods. The aftermath of the natural disaster is still evident and causing destruction and issues in the nation. Multiple videos, clips and images have been posted online displaying the consequences of the heavy rain. Several reels have been posted on Instagram in which we can see the destruction occurring in the nation. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is still struggling with the aftermath of a natural disaster. Many cars have been struck on a flooded road and people on social media are looking to know about the human loss. 

According to the media office of Dubai, the UAE has experienced the heaviest rainfall in decades. The last heaviest downpour occurred in 1949, as per the report. The news agency termed the storm as a “historic weather event”. The cause behind the heavy rainfall has been reported as cloud seeding along with numerous factors. Within 24 hours, the entire country soaked in 25 cm. The reports include the statement that the amount of rain usually gets in nearly two years. The National Center of Meteorology of UAE also labeled this storm as historic rainfall and stated that such an amount of rainfall occurred 75 years ago. 

Aftermath Of Heaviest Downpour 

The videos posted online have been telling their own story. Many roads have been blocked even the aviation sector has also been disrupted due to the storm. The heavy downpour flooded major highways and many flights have been canceled due to it. Rains also disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport. Several houses were swamped and vehicles were abandoned on roadways in UAE. To tackle the situation, authorities sent tanker trucks to pump away the water. 

Videos posted on social media platforms display flagship shopping malls such as Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall swamped. The water level reached ankle-deep at Dubai Metro Station due to that many trains have been cancelled. Water entered the expensive homes of the city which caused chaos and havoc for residents. The city also witnessed long hours of power outage. As mentioned above, one of the busiest airports in the world also suffered significant disruption. 

According to the latest update from DXB, Dubai Airport is currently working with limited flights for departure and arrival. DXB made a tweet on X regarding the same which reads “We have now resumed arriving flights of airlines operating out of Terminal 1. Flights continue to be delayed and disrupted, so we urge you to only come to Terminal 1 if you have a confirmed booking. Please contact your airline for the latest information on your flight status.” 

Moreover, in the wake of the flood, the UAE Government has decided to shut down the government schools till Friday, 19 April 2024. The official announcement regarding the same has been posted on X where The Emirates School Education Foundation has decided to shut down the school for more than two days and extend the distance education system for all government schools in UAE on April 18 and April 19. This decision has been taken in the wake of the safety and security of the teaching staff and students. Apart from schools, the government of UAE also extended remote working for the staff till Friday. 

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The UAE government wrote on X, “Based on the directives of the Council of Ministers, it was decided to extend remote work for Thursday and Friday, April 18-19, for all Federal Government Employees, with the exception of jobs for all federal government employees, with the exception of jobs that require  presence at the workplace, taking into account the circumstances resulting from the weather condition that the country experienced.”