More downpour forecast JEDDAH/MAKKAH/BAHRA: Even though the rains had stopped in Jeddah, the skies remained overcast on Thursday. A spokesman for the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) said by Thursday morning the weather had returned to stable in Jeddah. “Public interest in the weather has increased,” he said. “Some people have contacted us to ask about the possible effects on the weather of the recent tsunami in Japan.” However, given the fact the PME had not ruled out more rains, the Mayor's Office and Civil Defense were not taking any chances. They dispatched teams to the east Jeddah district of Umm Al-Khair equipped with rubber dinghies to respond to the threat of rain in the city. The teams were accompanied by volunteer divers. The municipal council reassured the public that all precautions were being taken if rains continued. “The work being carried out on the ground is enough to cope with any quantities of rain that might fall in the district,” said council chairman Hassan Al-Zahrani. “The council last week took a look at the projects being under way to counter the threat of flash floods and at repair work on the dam and the drainage channel in the area.” Yasser Al-Jahdali of the Jeddah Diving Group said that the volunteer team he was leading had joined up with the Civil Defense to act in response to rain forecasts from the PME. Residents in the area, which has been one of the city's worst-hit in heavy rains and floods over the last year and a half, anxiously observed the skies above the district Thursday, and to the relief of everyone, the rains forecast by the PME for the morning failed to materialize. “Everyone here is appreciative of the precautions being taken but we hope things can be speeded up to repair the drainage channel in Wadi Muraikh and works on the dam to avoid any incidents in future,” said local resident Muhammad Al-Ghamdi. Residents in some other parts of Jeddah like Al-Aziziah were trying hard to cope in the aftermath of the rains. Stagnant pools of water were seen in several areas and the air was rent with foul smell as rain water mixed with sewage; water had entered several homes in low-lying areas, and motorists and pedestrians were still wading through knee-high water. In Makkah, there was downpour again Thursday but the drainage networks were observed to be coping well with the quantities of water that hit the streets. Only minor traffic accidents were reported. “Traffic Police patrols were dispatched from central junctions to ensure that traffic kept flowing smoothly and close off thoroughfares where water was accumulating,” said the spokesman for Makkah Traffic Police. The Mayor's Office sent out teams with equipment to clear blockages in drainage networks caused by mud and debris carried by the rains, while the Civil Defense had a strong presence at sites where motorists and pedestrians might be most vulnerable to be affected by rising waters. An official said the Civil Defense had responded to several reports of people stuck in elevators after buildings lost power, and attended to one incident in the district of Al-Shouqiya where a car had slid into a large pool of water. No one was hurt. Meanwhile, the body of 13-year-old Badr Al-Adhli, who went missing Wednesday after heavy rains fell in the Hadaa' region of Bahra, was found in a lake near his father's house Thursday morning. The search for the boy began 18 hours earlier when his father reported finding his son's shoes near the body of water, and a Civil Defense official said that search parties dug down to the depths of the lake where they found the boy's body at 11:45 A.M.
