At Least 19 Dead As Record Flooding Hits UAE

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

DUBAI  (Worthy News) – Dubai was among areas wrestling with the aftermath of deadly torrential rains Thursday that flooded the desert city, with people recalling spending the night in their cars and air passengers enduring chaotic scenes at airports.

Record levels of rainfall brought cities in the United Arab Emirates and Oman to a standstill, with at least 19 people killed in Oman and flights being diverted from Dubai’s airport.

In the U.A.E., authorities urged all residents to stay at home. Videos showed cars submerged on gridlocked highways and planes leaving waves in their wake as they taxied down flooded runways in Dubai.

In Muscat, Oman’s capital, flash flooding turned streets into raging rivers as the region reportedly got more rain in one day than it usually receives in one and a half years.

Climate change-fearing experts said the extreme deluge was likely the result of regular, rainy weather systems “being supercharged by climate change.”

Others also blamed the high death toll on a lack of water management.

The storm first hit Oman on Sunday, causing widespread flash flooding and leading officials to close schools and government offices. On Wednesday, the heavy rains had eased, although the authorities warned residents to remain cautious.

MUCH WATER

Several areas of Oman received over 230 millimeters, or about 9 inches, of rain between Sunday and Wednesday, according to the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management.

The average annual rainfall in Muscat, the nation’s capital, is about 100 millimeters, although other parts of the country can receive more rain.

By Wednesday morning, 19 deaths had been confirmed by the emergency management committee, including an infant.

Ten of the dead were schoolchildren who were swept away in a vehicle with an adult, officials said. Some schools remained closed in Oman on Wednesday, and some government employees were told to work from home.

Dubai’s airport is one of the busiest for international travel, with nearly every flight repeatedly delayed.

The state-run WAM news agency called Tuesday’s rains “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949.”

But as the sun returns, questions will be raised on how to manage flooding better in the future.

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