DUBAI (AP) – Heavy rains lashed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tuesday, flooding out portions of major highways and leaving vehicles abandoned on roadways across Dubai.
Meanwhile, the death toll in separate heavy flooding in neighbouring Oman rose to 18 with others still missing as the country prepared for the storm.
The rains began overnight, leaving massive ponds on streets as whipping winds disrupted flights at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates.
Police and emergency personnel drove slowly through the flooded streets, their emergency lights flashing across the darkened morning. Lightning flashed across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Schools across the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, largely shut ahead of the storm and government employees were largely working remotely if able.
Many workers stayed home as well, though some ventured out, with the unfortunate stalling out their vehicles in deeper-than-expected water covering some roads. Authorities sent tanker trucks out into the streets and highways to pump away the water.
Rain is unusual in the UAE, an arid, Arabian Peninsula nation, but occurs periodically during the cooler winter months. Many roads and other areas lack drainage given the lack of regular rainfall, causing flooding.
Initial estimates suggested over 30 millimetres (mm) of rain fell over the morning in Dubai, with as much as 128mm of rain expected throughout the day.
Rain also fell in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
