UAE: The NCEMA has successfully evacuated 870 people after rains wreaked havoc in Sharjah and Fujairah. So far no casualties have been reported, officials said. As per the data by the ministry of community development, around 3,800 people have been relocated to temporary shelters across the flood-affected areas.
The ministry expediting its rescue ops has tied up with 20 hotels to provide housing facilities to 1,885 people nationwide adding transportation support for evacuation. 50 buses in the situation never seen in 30 years have been engaged to provide immediate help. Authorities have assured the public to stay calm as teams have been working ‘swiftly’ to help drain the water.
The National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), the Ministry of Interior and the National Centre for Meteorology held a special media briefing on July 28, at 4:30 pm.
Dr. Mohammed Al Abri, Spokesperson for the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) explained that the weather conditions across the northern areas of the UAE was the result of “an upper and surface air depression from northern India through southern Pakistan, coinciding with the movement of the orbital convergence line towards the north of the Arabian Gulf.”
The emirate’s weather department has already issued a red alert in view of “hazardous weather events”. It said that cloudy conditions will persist over the next few days, adding that convective clouds may cause rains to fall “eastward and may extend over some internal and southern areas”.
Visuals of the flood-ridden island have been making rounds on social media. Parked cars are seen floating, windows and doors of shops are shattered as the water gush against them, and people are seen climbing heights to save themselves, vehicles on the highway have been brought to a standstill by floodwater after nearly a day-long rainfall.