DAMMAM — Inclement weather since last Sunday has disrupted normal life in the Eastern Province. Intermittent rain since last night accompanied by hailstorm in some areas paralyzed life in the cities of Dammam, Dhahran, Al-Khobar, Qatif, Hofuf and Jubail.
Early morning saw huge traffic jams on the highways to Jubail and Al-Khobar. The rain also caused water logging in the low-lying areas and disrupted traffic at Dammam-Al-Khobar Highway and in several areas in Dammam and Al-Khobar.
Educational institutions were worst affected by the inclement weather and continuous drizzle. Most schools are conducting their finals examinations and as result schools did not have option to declare a “rainy day” causing great hardship to youngsters and their parent. Otherwise attendance in schools were reported low since Monday.
The old city's low lying areas particularly in Thugba and Bayouni in Al-Khobar and Al- Khodariya, Anoud and Mazrouiya in Dammam were the worst affected where water-logging brought traffic to a standstill.
The municipality has installed pumps at all flood-prone locations to pump the water out continuously. But people in some areas in Rakah were marooned by great pools of water.
Most of the shopping malls and business centers wore a deserted look as people preferred to remain indoors.
The Coast Guard has issued a warning to people to avoid going into deep waters. All the seaside sites in Dammam, Al-Khobar, Aziziyah and Half Moon Beach remain deserted.
Traffic Department has been having a tough time in managing the traffic jams, especially in Al-Khobar and Dammam where several new flyovers are being constructed.
Although there were no reports of major accidents, there were some minor mishaps in Jubail highway.
Traffic Control at King Fahd International Airport reported normal flights and landings as visibility was nearly 8 kilometers. However, some international airlines reported minor adjustments in their schedule.
Train and SAPTCO did report some delays in their departure. The weatherman predicted more rains in the evening with some respite on Friday and Saturday. Sunday could witness a downpour accompanied by thunder and hailstorm in some areas.
