UAE awash in sudden downpour

Country comes to standstill as torrential rains hit most parts; schools shut, offices close early

Abu Dhabi's business activities came to a halt as unstable weather condition rendered Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, some oil companies, banks and financial institutions to shut down early yesterday.
By noon, all public sector and most of the private companies in the Capital asked their employees to return home as bad weather persisted.
Heavy rain also greeted Dubai and Sharjah residents, delaying many employees from reaching their offices on time, while schools in Dubai asked parents to pick up their children early.
Floods caused traffic congestion on the main roads and most streets. Wadis in Fujairah were also flooded as well as its major roads and streets. The low pressure condition also brought heavy rain with thunder and lightning over Al Ain.
Operations at Abu Dhabi International Airport were affected for about an hour while Etihad Airways temporarily ceased operations.
As a result, 10 Etihad flights scheduled were delayed, and a further seven incoming flights were diverted to Al Ain Airport, three to Dubai World Central, and one flight returned to Muscat.
Departure flights at Dubai's two international airports were slightly delayed but operations were largely unaffected. A spokesperson from Emirates airline said: "Adverse weather conditions in Dubai on Wednesday caused cancellations of 10 flights as well as delays to other Emirates flights. Passengers affected have been rebooked on the next available flights."
Buildings evacuated
Several office buildings were evacuated in Abu Dhabi, including the headquarters of Gasco and the Adnoc Energy Complex. "Out of nowhere the storm came, it became and it started pushing heavily on the windows. So they informed everyone to stay on the ground floor and to stay away from any windows," Khalifa Al Fahim who works at Gasco told Khaleej Times.
Roads open, but traffic was slow
All roads in Dubai remained open according to Road and Transport Authority (RTA) officials. However, there was slowdown of traffic on the Shaikh Zayed Road towards Abu Dhabi at the exit of Jebel Ali port.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, director of the sewage and irrigation network department, Hassan Mohammed Makki, said municipal workers have been fighting an unprecedented rainfall that is much more than what was expected.
"We had been told to expect (a rainfall of) more than 50-60mm an hour. But this is more than what has been predicted and expected."
Accidents
Dubai Police recorded at least 253 traffic accidents and received 3,200 calls in a span of seven hours from 6am to 1pm, as heavy to moderate rain hit most areas of the country on Wednesday.
Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of the General Department of Traffic of Dubai Police, advised motorists to be careful and abide by safety rules during the rainy season and to take all preventive measures and obey traffic rules like reducing speed and leaving enough distance between cars.
He said: "There is always high possibility for occurrence of traffic accidents because of low visibility, especially if drivers speed up or drive recklessly." He warned drivers that the weather will be unstable as per the advise of NCMS (National Center of Meteorology and Seismology).
Residents react
Many UAE residents were active on social media giving their comments.
KT reader Jake Celocia sent pictures of himself stuck in traffic. He said: "Stuck in traffic for three hours, gall bladder about to burst."
Another KT reader, Myron da Costa, sent pictures taken at Sports City and advised residents to look for alternate routes if they want to enter the community.
"This storm was quite severe," said Ahmed Shehada, Dubai-based executive director of advisory and institutions at NBAD Securities LLC.
But in the midst of chaos, Indian resident Rahul Sudheer commented: "While returning home from work, I noticed that some drivers parked their cars on the hard shoulder of the highway... They were getting out to remove debris like branches of trees and small logs so that traffic would not be obstructed. This kind act by some residents made the roads safer for others."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com