Rains scare Saudis because of past disasters

JEDDAH: Saudis are currently holding their breaths in anticipation of expected rainfall.
This weather no longer attracts them, and they suffer anxiety and fear especially in regions which witnessed many disasters in the past that claimed the lives of dozens of citizens and residents.
During the rainfall, authorities continue to release warnings and directions telling people not to go into the streets, and for those inside their homes or on their jobs to find a safe place until the rain stops.
The Presidency for Meteorology and Environment (PME) has been active during the few past days in warning the public of the probability of rain in many regions of the Kingdom. The last such warning was released on Friday.
The PME website provided detailed information on the weather changes and fluctuations in the region, and broadcast continuous alerts on the possibility of heavy rain falling in several areas. The warnings said to take “extra caution and attention on the floodplain and in low-laying areas which often pool and accumulate rainwater.”
Hussain Al-Qahtani, spokesman of the PME, was quoted as saying to a local publication that the weather forecasts “indicate chances of heavy rainfall in almost all parts of the Kingdom.”
Saudis had always loved the rains, but lately they react with fear and anxiety. The residents of Jeddah are the most affected in this case as thick clouds covering the skies of remind them of Oct. 25, 2009, when tragedy occurred because of a cloudburst.
On that date the coastal city witnessed the worst disaster in 27 years, according to officials of the Civil Defense. The disaster claimed many lives. The streets of Jeddah were inundated with water, with some streets under one meter.
Many people thought at the time that the victims drowned inside their cars and were swept away by the floods. More than 3,000 vehicles were damaged that day.
The disaster revealed many faults and problems in the channels to drain the rain.
The rainwaters and floods covered about 80 percent of the area of Jeddah, taking its street and underpasses as an alternative route for the floods. The Civil Defense said at the time in a press release that it managed to rescue 1,451 people through its ground teams in addition to 467 people using air rescue.
In addition to Jeddah, other regions of Saudi Arabia in 2013 registered a number of deaths, including 14 dead and four missing in Riyadh, Baha and Hail.
The operations center at the Civil Defense in all the regions of the Kingdom registered more than 4,213 reports of accidents resulting from the rains and floods.