Featured Image Credit: u/ayri_fiki/Reddit
Topics: Climate Change, Weather, World News
Tom Sanders
Shocking videos have emerged claiming to show the extent of the flash floods which have rocked the United Arab Emirates this week.
At least 870 people have been rescued by emergency services after extreme rainfall battered the UAE’s Northern Emirates earlier this week, the government has said.
The cities of Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah have been brought to a standstill by road closures and waterlogged roads, forcing people to leave their homes due to the damages inflicted by widespread flooding across the region.
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In Fujairah, members of the Ministry of Defence have joined forces with police and civil defence teams to help those affected by the hazardous weather after the mountainous city was particularly hard-hit by the sudden rainfall.
People living in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have reported considerably less rain.
In total, 3,897 people have been placed in temporary shelters in Sharjah and Fujairah, and have been told to remain there until their homes are deemed safe for them to return, The National reports.
Footage of the floods has since been shared widely on Twitter. One video shows cars attempting to drive alongside a stretch of badly damaged road which has been all but destroyed by the intense rainfall.
Another clip, shared by the Ministry of Interior, shows a civil defence officer carrying a young child to safety from a flooded property in Fujairah and placing them in a rubber dinghy floating outside their home.
Meanwhile, police in Ras Al Khaimah have managed to rescue more than 200 motorists trapped in the mountains due to rising water levels in the area, with government sources reporting there were more than 70 emergency patrols on hand to support rescue teams on Thursday, 28 July.
“More than 200 people whose cars were stuck in high mountains and in valleys and who were trapped by water have been rescued and provided support,” said Maj Gen Ali Al Nuaimi, chief of Ras Al Khaimah Police.
“Logistic support in terms of food, water and necessary medical supplies is also provided to those who need them.”
He said more than 1,800 calls had been received by the police operations room since the latest bout of wet weather began.
Crews are still working to reach families whose homes were damaged by floods.
At the time of writing no deaths or casualties have yet been reported, with weather officials predicting the rain will start to disperse early next week.
The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said climate change is responsible for the increased frequency of heavy rains in the Emirates.
"Global warming and climate change are possibly one of the reasons responsible for the increase in the frequency of rains in the UAE. England has recorded the highest temperature ever registered recently amid a heatwave that has walloped parts of Europe. So, climate change is evident. Another factor (for rain in the UAE) is the El Nino and La Nina phenomena are climate patterns that can affect weather worldwide," the agency said in a statement, according to Khaleej Times.
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