Abu Dhabi: Emergency services personnel in Abu Dhabi sprang into action during the late hours of the night and early morning on Monday to address the consequences of the substantial rainfall that had occurred.
Muhammad Ali Al-Sharafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport - Abu Dhabi, conducted an inspection tour of various areas in Abu Dhabi on Monday morning, following heavy rains.
Al-Sharafa subsequently called a group of concerned officials from the Abu Dhabi City Municipality, the Al Ain City Municipality, and the Western Region Municipality, as well as emergency services representative in Abu Dhabi, to an emergency meeting at the Traffic Control Centre of the Integrated Transport Centre to ensure rapid response to challenges arising from volatile weather conditions in various regions of the emirate.
Al-Sharafa cited the tireless efforts made by the emergency services in Abu Dhabi and their dedicated work throughout the hours of the night and early morning in order to mitigate the effects of the heavy downpour.
During his emirate-wide tour, Al-Sharafa was keen to communicate directly with different segments of the population and owners of companies and shops to learn about their experiences and problems.
Volatile weather
Al Sharafa urged the public to exercise caution during these volatile weather conditions, in line with the safety alerts issued by the concerned authorities on Monday morning.
He also reassured the community that the Department of Municipalities and Transport-Abu Dhabi is working to implement innovative and long-term strategies to mitigate the effects of such crises in the future, in line with its priorities of maintaining the safety and stability of community members.
Civil Defense
For his part, Brig. Gen. Salem Abdullah bin Barak Al Dhaheri, Acting Director General of the Abu Dhabi Civil Defense Authority, has directly supervised and followed up on all rescue and ambulance operations in the emirate.
Al Dhaheri also urged the public to exercise caution, stay in safe places, and stay away from places where water accumulates and valleys.
He urged citizens and residents to adhere to the instructions out on official media, during inclement weather.
Abu Dhabi Police
Abu Dhabi Police has intensified efforts to deal with all reports and incidents received by the central operations room, to preserve the public safety, enhance security, and ensure the smooth flow of traffic in the emirate.
The force has also intensified cooperation with various authorities to activate and enhance the local response plan during adverse weather conditions over a 24-hour period on all major external roads in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Police reviewed the preparedness, readiness, proactive and effective response mechanism in managing emergencies, crises and disasters, and the importance of ensuring the dissemination of the command and control system, while unifying efforts and highlighting the extent of integration between all concerned.
Emergency hotline: 999
The command and control centres also confirmed their readiness to receive calls from the public over a 24-hour period, via the emergency number 999.
The Security Media Department enhanced public awareness, through its social media platforms, and urged them to exercise caution and adhere to the instructions issued by the competent authorities. It also provided timely advice and guidance on safe driving in these weather conditions.
The Traffic and Security Patrols Directorate urged all drivers and road users to exercise caution, not to go out except in cases of necessity, to avoid speeding, especially in cases of strong winds and rainfall, as this may result in loss of control of the vehicle and accidents.
• Stay away from places where water accumulates and valleys,
• Avoid approaching power lines, open spaces and close to trees during rainfall,
• Follow the advice and instructions issued by relevant authorities,
• When driving, leave sufficient distance between vehicles,
• Adhere to the route, avoid changing the route except in cases of necessity,
• Avoid sudden breaking,
• Slow down when turning to prevent the car from sliding,
• Pull over to the side of the road in extremely low-visibility conditions while driving,
• Avoid reckless / careless driving / drifting,
• Adhere to traffic laws,
• Adhere to safety rules while driving in the rain.
The directorate has activated the system for reducing speeds on the roads and stressed adherence to the specified speeds.
Protecting homes and facilities
To ensure the safety of individuals in homes and facilities, the Department of Energy - Abu Dhabi cooperated and coordinated its efforts with energy sector companies represented by distribution, transmission and control companies, with the aim of raising the readiness of emergency and urgent maintenance teams in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The aim is to respond quickly to all reports related to power and water outages resulting from the weather condition.
The emirate and the department have allocated all the necessary resources for a rapid response, and has placed all capabilities, including backup generators and water tanks, on standby to provide all types of support and assistance to the efforts of local authorities.
The department and energy sector authorities have provided the necessary awareness messages to the public, to deal with unstable weather conditions, and ensure the safety of electrical installations.
Electricity in homes and facilities
The Department of Energy - Abu Dhabi continues its efforts to follow up on reports and updates through a 24-hour shift schedule, and to adhere to and update cases of power and water outages, electricity and sanitation reports to the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Center, in addition to the presence of a liaison element in the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Centre to provide the necessary support upon request.
Air patrols
The Abu Dhabi Police Aviation Department also carried out air patrols to photograph crowded places and rainwater accumulation in the different areas in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and transmitted the images via a live broadcast to the Command and Control Center in the Operations Department, which enhances the speed of response in the face of emergency situations affected by the depression.
Relevant authorities and departments in Abu Dhabi continue to coordinate their efforts to mitigate the effects of volatile weather, and deal with them quickly according to a proactive strategy to ensure rapid response and harness all national capabilities, in order to preserve the security and safety of individuals and property throughout the emirate.
