TOPSHOT – Cars are stranded on a flooded road in Dubai after heavy rain on April 18, 2024. Dubai’s giant highways were blocked by floods and its major airport was in chaos as the Middle East’s financial hub remained closed on April 18 , a day after the heaviest rains on record.
Giuseppe Cacace | Afp | Getty Images
The United Arab Emirates continues to suffer from flooding caused by the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the desert, with airlines, banks and public transport facing major disruptions and service disruptions.
About a year’s worth of rain hit the usually bone-dry Gulf nation in just 12 hours. And in many homes and businesses in Dubai and other emirates, running water and electricity are no longer working.
“The shower doesn’t work.” “I can’t flush the toilet.” “Nothing comes out of the taps.” These and other similar messages flooded Whatsapp groups in Dubai on Wednesday and Thursday as many residents living in villas found themselves stuck inside, more than a foot of water flooding the streets outside their homes and submerging their cars.
A widely shared message urges: “DO NOT walk through flooded areas and DO NOT touch metal objects on the ground while in water,” warning of electric shock. But with their cars out of stock and taxis avoiding flooded areas, some residents who ran out of food ventured out to buy groceries anyway.
“Wear trainers and shorts and bring a backpack to carry your food back,” advises a resident of the upmarket Al Manara residential neighborhood. Videos from some neighborhoods showed locals on surfboards and even jet skis to get around. Beiruti Flame Grill, a local Lebanese restaurant, was one of several Dubai businesses completely submerged – its staff using a raft to get around the neighborhood.
Two men use an inflatable bed to float on water as downpour causes severe flooding in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on April 17, 2024.
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“Some friends of ours have lost almost everything — homes up to their waists in water. It’s been horrible for a lot of people,” one resident, who declined to be identified due to business restrictions, told CNBC.
For others, the weather disaster brought out the best in their communities.
“Our community has been honestly amazing, pulling together and helping each other where they can,” Samantha Denicchaud, a film therapist who lives in Dubai, told CNBC. “I think it was a time where neighbors who otherwise would never have connected got to know each other. It was horrible but also strangely amazing.”
He described residents cooking meals and donating blankets and toiletries to security and maintenance workers who were unable to return to their homes.
A man paddles his canoe on a flooded road in Dubai after heavy rain on April 18, 2024. Dubai’s giant highways were blocked by floods and its major airport was in chaos as the Middle East’s financial hub remained closed on April 18 , a day after the heaviest rains on record.
Giuseppe Cacace | Afp | Getty Images
Some areas of the UAE saw more than 100mm of rain between Tuesday and Wednesday — a 75-year record since the country began recording rainfall, according to the country’s National Meteorological Centre. The government issued on Tuesday a red warning, closing offices, schools and banks across the country. The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Authority warned residents to stay home and park vehicles on elevated ground away from flood-prone areas.
Hundreds of cars were left abandoned on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Freeway as drivers’ engines died as water rose around them. The city’s subway became a makeshift shelter overnight as people working in and around some stations were unable to return home.
While water levels in some areas are receding and parts of the city are completely dry, some are still too submerged for maintenance and repair services to access. Police cars are blocking some roads deemed too dangerous, while pumping stations are working to empty the roads of water.
The massive cleanup is underway and should continue for some time. The UAE’s interior ministry announced on Wednesday afternoon the “end of weather fluctuations” and said efforts were continuing to “complete the recovery phase”. Field work teams will “continue their intensive efforts to ensure full recovery and the return of life to normal in all affected areas,” the ministry’s statement said.
Dubai airport was a scene of chaos as frustrated travelers were told they would not be able to fly. The airport urged travelers not to come to the airport unless absolutely necessary and suspended check-ins until Thursday morning.
For those who landed before arriving flights were grounded, getting home was also an effort.
“The airport staff told everyone to get on the metro for two stops and then get on the replacement bus service… We got there and there was no replacement service,” a British Dubai resident returning from vacation told CNBC. “It looked like the airport was just trying to unload the bodies further down… eventually our partner came in a pickup truck and took us back home.”
In a statement, a spokesman for Dubai Airports said the airport was “working to restore operations as quickly as possible amid these difficult circumstances” and said that “due to overcrowding, access to Terminal 1 is now strictly limited to passengers with confirmed Departures”. He added that “there are no rebooking facilities available at the terminal.”
Cars drive on a flooded road after heavy rain in Dubai on April 17, 2024.
Giuseppe Cacace | Afp | Getty Images
Many others are still stuck abroad as waves of travelers returned home this week after the Eid holiday at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Customers went to X to complain about long wait times trying to contact airline customer support or not being able to get through to a human at all.
“Our Contact Centers are experiencing a high volume of interactions due to heavy rainfall in Dubai and you may experience long waiting times for us to respond,” said a notice on Emirates Airline’s website, asking customers not to call if their flight is not on next 48 hours.
For Fanny Balleuil, a French resident of the UAE, being stuck in Bahrain – where she was driven on her way back to Dubai – is actually more of a disguise. Her roommates said her room was completely flooded. it is uninhabitable until the water is pumped out by maintenance workers, who cannot access her neighborhood until Friday at the earliest.
“My flight was canceled – I’m stuck in Bahrain and it’s actually a cute country,” he said. “I would never have visited without this happening!”