Saudi Arabia approves cooperation agreement with US for the use of outer space for peaceful purposes    Quality of Life Program CEO highlights Saudi urban transformations at UN-Habitat conference in Cairo    AlHisn Big Time Studios unveiled to transform film and TV production in Riyadh    Saudi Aramco's Q3 net income falls 15.5% to SR103 billion amid a jump in annual cash flows    Almarai wins 'Best Corporate Sukuk' at Asset Triple A Islamic Finance Awards    Top climber falls to death after rare Himalayan feat    US voters flying home in time for election    Drones and snipers on standby to protect Arizona vote-counters    India's Modi condemns violence after Canada temple incident    Harris and Trump make final push in must-win Pennsylvania    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Saudi crown prince, Tunisian president review bilateral relations in phone call    SFDA Chief visits premier biotechnology and medical firms in China    Al-Khereiji: Collective action in combating terrorism is a must for achieving stability and prosperity    Quincy Jones, titan of US music, dies aged 91    Neymar expected to join Al Hilal squad for AFC clash against Esteghlal, says coach Jesus    Al Qadsiah secure 2-0 victory over Al Ettifaq in first Eastern Derby since 2021    Hidden sugars in Asia's baby food spark concerns    HONOR unveils pre-order of the stunning HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Featuring an ultra-slim design, HONOR Eye Comfort Display and AI Cross-OS WorkStation    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Rains wreak havoc in Jeddah, Makkah
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 18 - 11 - 2015


up, rescue measures
* 2 killed in Jeddah, 6 accidents reported in Makkah
Badea Abu Al-Naja, Layan Damanhouri and Fatima Muhammad
JEDDAH/MAKKAH – Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah region and advisor to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, visited Tuesday the Disaster and Crisis Management Center at the governorate to follow up on the measures to tackle the situation after heavy rain in various regions and governorates of the province.
From the operation room of the center, Prince Khaled supervised the field operations, traffic plans to ease congestion and the situation at the dams through cameras linked with the center.
Officials said two people were killed when they were electrocuted by a downed lamp post in Jeddah as severe thunderstorms forced schools and universities to suspend classes in Red Sea city and Makkah. Schools will emain closed on Wednesday and Thursday also.
Two children are missing in the northwestern province of Hail, while a third child was rescued in a flooded valley there.
Emergency response crews advised residents to stay indoors as heavy rains pound areas along the Kingdom's Red Sea coastline.
Saudis took to social media to share videos and pictures of flooded streets and high winds, which are expected to last until Wednesday.
The Jeddah region received the highest level of 22 millimeters of rain on Tuesday. The Civil Defense has installed 290 warning alarms in various districts and valleys to alert the people.
Air traffic at King Abdulaziz International was not disrupted. However, some domestic flights were delayed, according to the airport administration. The airport postponed the take-off of eight domestic flights following heavy rain. The disrupted flights were bound for Madinah, Hail, Tabuk, Riyadh and Al-Qassim. One international flight was rerouted to Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah. The airport authorities urged, through its twitter account, the passengers to contact their respective airlines to check about any changes in their flight schedule.
The rain caused power outage at Jeddah's main station in Al-Zahra that is allocated to pump out water from flooded streets, said a statement of Jeddah Municipality. The rain also affected seven pumps, which resulted in the accumulation of water in a number of locations.
Jeddah Municipality has allocated 1600 cleaning workers with 512 equipment to help remove water during the next 48 hours from all Jeddah roads.
Jeddah Governor Prince Mishal Bin Majed has ordered to open main roads, suck water from public places, open roads to allow electricity teams to fix any power outages, tow away vehicles from roads. He also ordered the formation of a committee that includes representatives from the ministry of finance and the civil defense to provide immediate accommodation to those whose houses were affected by rain and cooperate with the ministry of defense to provide large vehicles to move marooned families to safe locations.
Several districts in Jeddah suffered from flooding. Tunnels were flooded, causing intense traffic jams.
A giant billboard collapsed on Madinah road, affecting traffic movement. Several Heddah neighborhoods suffered heavy floods and blocked roads, including Salamah district, Palestine Street, Prince Majed Road, and Rawdah district.
Many people voiced their concerns on Twitter with a number of hashtags circulating on the current Jeddah floods and posting comments, recalling the 2009 flash floods which caused many casualties.
In Makkah, six accidents were reported. Abdul Aziz Badouman, spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Makkah, said the authority's operation room received 31 calls until 2 p.m., of which six were about accidents.
There were four collisions of vehicles at Jumum, Al-Awali, Jiarana, and Haj Street, and overturning of vehicle on Old Makkah Jeddah Road. There was also a fire incident reported from Jumum, in which there were no casualties.
Col. Talaat Mansouri, director of traffic department in Makkah, said his department had prepared a plan to tackle the situation after the forecast of heavy rain. As many as 220 traffic patrol teams along with 16 officers have been deployed as part of the precautionary measures in various parts of the holy city, he added.
Meanwhile, government schools in Jeddah will remain closed on Wednesday; it was stated by Minister of Education Assam Al-Dakhil in his twitter account. The International Indian School-Jeddah will continue remain closed on Wednesday. The admission test for students of class one for the additional seats for the current academic session, scheduled for today, has been postponed, according to IISJ sources.


Clic here to read the story from its source.