Jeddah Drowns in Flash Floods after Rain
JEDDAH: Jeddah was drowned in flash floods yesterday after a rain of few hours. It is said 80% of Jeddah city is under water. Jeddah is the second biggest city of Saudi Arabia and Business Capital. The city of Jeddah is prone to flooding. Recent history of some of the worst flooding has been witnessed killing several besides property damages running into millions of Riyals.
Eyewitnesses told media that East Jeddah was swamped and floodwater was rushing west toward the Red Sea, turning streets once more into rivers. Witnesses said the Um Al-Khair dam had been breached, flooding nearby neighborhoods.
According to Arab news city was in total mess and mayhem. Traffic came to a standstill and long lines of people walking home, abandoning their vehicles in water, could be seen. But walking in some places was dangerous because of potholes and exposed electric wires. Some had to walk up to six hours to reach home.
Residents rose up to the occasion by helping people in trouble. Some were seen carrying schoolchildren and elderly to safety. Many people took refuge in Al-Andalus Mall in the Old Airport area where they recharged their cell phones to contact families.
There were rains on Wednesday in other parts of the Kingdom, including in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Qassim, Hail and Madinah. According to one report, one person died and five others were injured in accidents caused by rain in the Eastern Province. Traffic police said as many as 53 traffic accidents happened in the province as a result of heavy rains. The Civil Defense attended to at least eight cases of electric short circuits.
Input from Arab News
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