Flood hit Jeddah still in shock

Arab News

JEDDAH, Jan 28: Jeddah residents heaved a sigh of relief Thursday as nature showed mercy toward them with clear skies, allowing Civil Defense officers and hundreds of volunteers to confront the aftermath of Wednesday's tropical deluge that swamped most of the city - some parts worse than others. The official death toll stood at five, though no other details were available on deaths or injuries. Dozens of residents were still searching for their missing friends and relatives more than 24 hours after the rains stopped. The city was in total chaos after the heaviest downpour in 17 years as described by some local residents. Traffic came to a standstill and long lines of people walked home, abandoning their vehicles in water. Palestine Street, Madinah Road, Wali Al-Ahad Street and the entire Bani Malik district were either flooded or jammed with traffic. Cars could be seen swept away by fast flowing rainwater in some areas. Five historical buildings in the Balad district also collapsed as a result of the rains. Helicopters hovered over the areas most affected by the rainwater runoff on Thursday, lifting people off rooftops in approximately 1,500 operations. Amphibious teams were dispatched in dinghies. At least 951 stranded people were rescued by the afternoon. Four hundred and sixty-six of them were airlifted off rooftops. Helicopters also rescued girls and staff marooned in the Dar Al-Hekma College at around 1 a.m. Thursday morning. Civil Defense staff were provided additional support by colleagues from Makkah and Taif in addition to divers of the Saudi Emergency Force from the provinces of Riyadh and Asir. "These support forces are specially trained to deal with conditions related to running and stagnant waters," said Civil Defense Director-General Lt. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijri. Electricity went out for 669,638 subscribers, most of whom still did not have power Thursday evening. Brig. Muhammad Al-Shuaibani, director of water-borne rescue operations, said many people were trapped as a result of the failure of a section of a 70-meter berm in Um Al-Khair in east Jeddah that was erected to protect residents from flash floods. About four meters of the berm collapsed from the surge. The Meteorology Department of King Abdulaziz University registered 114mm of rainfall in four hours on Wednesday morning. In the Nov. 25, 2009 floods, approximately 90mm of rain fell in about three hours. Earlier this month, 45mm rain fell in a few hours. The average rainfall in Jeddah for the winter months (November to February) is about 51mm. Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif said late Wednesday an emergency meeting of ministers concerned would be held at his office on Sunday to discuss measures to tackle recurrent floods in Jeddah. "The meeting will discuss all aspects of flooding in the Makkah province and how to deal with similar situations in other provinces," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted Prince Naif as saying. http://bit.ly/e9mc9A