- Title: Dubai residents evacuate by kayak after unprecedented flooding
- Date: 18th April 2024
- Summary: DUBAI, UAE (APRIL 18, 2024) (REUTERS) FLOODED RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX SEEN FROM FRONT OF KAYAK VARIOUS OF FLOODED CARS NEAR RESIDENTIAL UNITS SMOKE RISING FROM AN ELECTRICITY BOX ON STREET VARIOUS OF FLOODED CARS NEAR RESIDENTIAL UNITS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUBAI RESIDENT, KHURRAM SHAHZAD, SAYING: “I was born and raised in Dubai and I've never seen rain like this ever fall onto this country, so it was quite a challenging time. Massive, massive rain.” VARIOUS OF FLOODED CARS NEAR RESIDENTIAL UNITS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUBAI RESIDENT, KHURRAM SHAHZAD, SAYING: “The problem we had this time is that the drainage system did not work. It could not take on the amount of water which came through the rain, and it could not take the water out as quickly as possible. And it just got clogged up and the water just kept on rising and rising and rising. I mean, we put our cars onto higher grounds. We put our cars on to breaks. It's no point because the water has now entered and the cars are floating all over my street.” VARIOUS OF A FLOODED CAR OUTSIDE A RESIDENTIAL UNIT/ DUBAI RESIDENT, KHURRAM SHAHZAD, SAYING OVER SHOTS OF FLOODED CAR (English): “So this is my car Honda civic, 1997. I built it myself. Worked on the engine, shocks, interior, everything else.” (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUBAI RESIDENT, KHURRAM SHAHZAD, SAYING: “All my three cars are gone. I'm a biker, so I put my Harley Davidson inside the house. Don't ask me how. That's submerged under water as well. It's probably about one feet. All the furniture within the house has gone. All the electronics on the downstairs are gone. We've moved as much stuff as possible upstairs, but the front yard, back yard completely destroyed, waterlogged.” DUBAI RESIDENT KHURRAM SHAHZAD SPEAKING WITH A NEIGHBOUR DUBAI RESIDENT KHURRAM SHAHZAD KAYAKING THROUGH FLOOD WATER A PERSON HOLDING A CAT INSIDE TRANSPARENT PET CARRIER ON A KAYAK RESIDENTS EVACUATING THEIR HOMES ON KAYAKS AN INFLATABLE TUBES VARIOUS OF A MAN SITTING ON TOP OF HIS FLOODED HOUSE A PERSON CARRYING THEIR BELONGINGS THROUGH FLOOD WATER VARIOUS OF FLOODED RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUBAI RESIDENT, KHURRAM SHAHZAD, SAYING: “Today has been quite hectic because, today is when we have actually evacuated most of the houses. This is where the water has actually started coming in through the drain holes within the houses. The tap water is now sewage water. The pumps are not working. Electricity is half gone. So nobody can actually stay here.” DUBAI RESIDENT KHURRAM SHAHZAD PULLING A KAYAK WITH EVACUEES A RESIDENT WITH WATER ABOVE ANKLES DISPOSING A PIECE OF TRASH VARIOUS OF TRUCKS DRAINING FLOOD WATER WORKERS STANDING IN FLOOD WATER A TRUCK DUMPING FLOOD WATER ON A HIGHWAY VEHICLES STRANDED IN FLOOD WATER ON A DUBAI HIGHWAY
- Embargoed: 2nd May 2024 20:04
- Keywords: Dubai UAE climate climate change cloud seeding environment flood rainfall severe weather storm
- Location: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
- City: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
- Country: UAE
- Topics: Environment,Middle East,Weather
- Reuters ID: LVA001621318042024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: LICENSE PLATES ON CARS WERE BLURRED BY REUTERS
Cars, a motorcyle, furniture: Khurram Shahzad lost some of his valuable belongings to flood waters when a record storm saw a year's rain fall in a day in Dubai on Tuesday (April 16).
Shahzad prepared his kayak to help his neighbours evacuate as water started rising up through drain holes in houses on Thursday (April 18).
Across his Dubai neighbourhood water parked cars were submerged in flood waters as levels reached one metre in many units, according to some residents.
“All my three cars are gone. I'm a biker, so I put my Harley Davidson inside the house. Don't ask me how. That's submerged under water as well. It's probably about one feet. All the furniture within the house has gone. All the electronics on the downstairs have gone. We've moved as much stuff as possible upstairs, but the front yard, back yard completely destroyed, waterlogged," said Shahzad.
Shahzad and others blamed lack of proper infrastructure that could have withheld the storm and saved them their losses.
“The problem we had this time is that the drainage system did not work. It could not take on the amount of water which came through the rain, and it could not take the water out as quickly as possible. And it just got clogged up and the water just kept on rising and rising and rising," said Shahzad.
The storm, which first hit neighbouring Oman on Sunday, pounded the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, flooding roads and causing gridlock that lasted for hours as rainwater inundated homes and businesses. One person was reported dead in the UAE and 20 in Oman.
Authorities told government employees and students to stay home while waterlogged roads are cleared.
Rains are rare in the UAE and elsewhere on the Arabian Peninsula, which is typically known for its dry desert climate. Summer air temperatures can soar above 50 degrees Celsius.
Climate experts say rising temperatures caused by human-led climate change are leading to more extreme weather events around the world, such as the storm that struck the UAE and Oman.
Researchers anticipate that climate change will lead to heightened temperatures, increased humidity and a greater risk of flooding in parts of the Gulf region. The problem can be worsened in countries like the UAE where there is a lack of drainage infrastructure to cope with heavy rains.
The UAE state news agency late on Wednesday (April 17) put out a statement from President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan saying he had ordered authorities to assess the damage and provide support to families impacted by the storm.
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