Fujairah reels under flash floods

Fujairah: Cascading flash floods raged through low-lying mountain valleys here on Thursday, forcing police to evacuate residents from waterlogged homes in the Eastern Region of the country.


But thanks to quick emergency response measures by police, no casualties were reported as valley villages and roads were engorged by fast-moving rivers filled with ice-cube sized hail raining down from darkened skies.

Steady morning downpours created unstable soil conditions, prompting a rock slide on the Fujairah-Khor Fakkan Road which led to authorities blocking the vital route in and out of the area, authorities said.

Rains caused water levels to suddenly rise by more than two metres in residential areas, causing damage to private and residential properties as well as cars, police said.

No financial estimates for property damage were available as of press time.

Fujairah and Khor Fakkan Police deployed patrols on roads to support affected residents.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology posted on Twitter videos of the floods and runoff valleys in Fujairah on Thursday morning, following heavy morning rains that lashed the emirate.

Charming nature of #UAE after the rain, showing the decline of water in the Eastern area. pic.twitter.com/uJtfB6mLid— UAE WEATHER (@NCMS_media) March 3, 2016

Residents also posted pictures of the areas surrounding the valley of Safad in Fujairah inundated by flood waters.

Fujairah police posted a video of a wall coming off a villa after being swept by heavy rains in the emirate on Thursday.

Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Al Hassani, Director of Media and Public Relations Department of Fujairah Police, told Gulf News that police were helping to provide temporary shelter to affected residents till the flood waters recede.

“In Al Qaryah area there was a house where a fence collapsed and we evacuated its residents and provided them with shelter,” he said.

Brigadier Mohammad Ganem Al Kaabi, Commander-in-Chief of Fujairah Police, gave instructions to intensify patrols on roads to help people as well as regulate traffic movement which slowed down.

Warning SMSs were sent to Fujairah residents informing them of road closures.

“We deployed our patrols on all roads which were hit by heavy rain and they were also stationed near valley areas to prohibit people from entering the area in order to protect their lives,” said Lt Col Al Kaabi. “Some of the roads were closed completely in the morning and by afternoon they were gradually opened to the traffic after municipal workers pumped out flood waters.”

Lt Col Dr Ahmad Al Naour, Head of Khor Fakkan Police, said that police patrols helped avoid a major calamity as there were no deaths.

Meanwhile, the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology posted on Twitter videos of the floods and runoff in valleys in Fujairah on Thursday morning following heavy morning rain that lashed the emirate.

Residents also posted pictures of the areas surrounding the valley of Safad in Fujairah inundated by flood waters.

The rest of the country was fair to partly cloudy with temperatures continuing to gradually rise to be in the mid-20s.

On Thursday night, relative humidity was expected to increase until Friday morning, giving rise to fog or mist formation over some areas, especially the Western Region.

The same weather conditions are expected on Friday but no rain clouds are expected.

The Arabian Gulf will be slight to moderate on Friday while the Oman Sea will be slight to moderate on Friday.

Mist might form over some coastal areas on Saturday morning.On Thursday night, relative humidity is likely to increase until Friday morning, giving rise to fog or mist formation over some areas, especially the western region.

The same weather conditions are expected on Friday but no rain clouds are expected.

The Arabian Gulf will be slight to moderate on Thursday and Friday while the Oman Sea will be moderate on Thursday and slight to moderate on Friday. Mist might form over some coastal areas on Saturday morning.