Heavy rains that recently lashed Khamis Mushayt and a lack of flood canals has caused the formation of big pools of water on main streets that have created chaos and traffic jams across the governorate and the breakdown of thousands of cars. Citizens, who said the flow of traffic has been disrupted by stagnant water in the underpass under construction in Khamis Mushayt, at traffic lights and on King Fahd Road, called on authorities to fix the problem. Dr. Abdullah Al-Zahrani, head of Khamis Mushayt Municipality said the regional council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in the valleys and flood canals and developed a plan to address the immediate problem and work out a permanent solution. In a related development, torrential rains hit different parts of Jizan on Sunday, accompanied by strong winds in some of the eastern highlands and the west coast. Heavy downpours lashed Faifa Governorate, which stopped ferries and boats from sailing to the Farasan Islands. Capt. Yahya Bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Civil Defense spokesman in Jizan Region, said the Civil Defense Administration has deployed safety patrols to survey the valleys and help anyone stranded in the flooded valleys. He said floods in Jorah, Khalb and Ree' Masyadah valleys were running in their natural courses and not causing any diversions. Al-Qahtani has warned people against traveling during times of heavy rain and advised them to keep away from the valley beds and strictly abide by the Civil Defense Administration's warnings. The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment has warned in the weather forecast report it issued Sunday that visibility will be affected by dust, especially in the west coast in Makkah Region. It also expects the formation of thunderclouds on Al-Baha, Abha and Jizan highlands, which will be preceded by strong winds and poor visibility in the northern, central and eastern regions that might extend to Najran, Jizan, Makkah and Madina regions especially in coastal areas.
