King orders urgent action to mitigate floods, warns against negligence

A statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said  the king has instructed the finance minister to allocate necessary funds for this.

“Those who show negligence in implementing this order will face severe punishment,' the king said.'As a result of heavy rains causing dangerous damage to people and installations and Jeddah facing the danger of drowning in many areas, all necessary action should be taken immediately without delay,' he said.

The king, who is now convalescing in the Moroccan city of Casablanca following back surgery, said such measures should be taken immediately in light of weather reports that there will be more rains in coming days.

“All related departments should work day and night to end the problem and those who show negligence in dealing with this important matter will be severely punished,' King Abdullah said, while urging top officials to update him with developments relating to floods in Jeddah and its surrounding areas.

The royal decree was addressed to Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation; Prince Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior; Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal; Municipal and Rural Affairs Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb; Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf; Transport Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry; Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen; and Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah.

As of Wednesday evening, there were reports of three teenagers who suffered electric shocks, a broken dam and hundreds of stranded students in different parts of the city.

Eyewitnesses told Arab News that East Jeddah was swamped and floodwater was rushing west toward the Red Sea, turning streets once more into rivers. Witnesses said the Um Al-Khair dam had been breached, flooding nearby neighborhoods.

Jeddawis said Wednesday's downpour was the heaviest in 17 years.'Jeddah has not witnessed such heavy rains in recent years, causing floods and trapping people in rainwater,' one Saudi said.

The city was in total mess and mayhem. Traffic came to a standstill and long lines of people walking home, abandoning their vehicles in water, could be seen. But walking in some places was dangerous because of potholes and exposed electric wires. Some had to walk up to six hours to reach home.

Residents rose up to the occasion by helping people in trouble. Some were seen carrying schoolchildren and elderly to safety. Many people took refuge in Al-Andalus Mall in the Old Airport area where they recharged their cell phones to contact families.

Water in the Al-Hamra district was waist-deep in some places and some schools were preventing students from leaving. The heavy downpour did not begin until after students went to class where they are currently taking end-of-semester exams.

Unconfirmed reports said three girl students suffered electric shocks at KAU. It was not immediately clear if any of the girls died. Many KAU students and staff, especially women, had to stay up late in the evening at the university because of the floods.

Dr. Sami Badawood, director of health in Jeddah, said Civil Defense helicopters transported eight injured people to hospital, as ambulances could not move because of flooded roads. He said all government hospitals have been instructed to stay alert to meet any eventualities.

Some witnesses also reported helping Civil Defense officials who themselves had become marooned in rising waters in some parts of the city.

Palestine Street, Madinah Road, Wali Al-Ahad Street and the entire Bani Malik district were either flooded or jammed with traffic. Cars could be seen swept away by fast flowing rainwater in some areas. Five historical buildings in the Balad district also collapsed as a result of the rains. The buildings were empty and uninhabited.

Three hundred students at Dar Al-Hekma were held up inside the college until 5 p.m. At Effat College the situation remained the same. The Civil Defense advised students not to leave the premises, and college authorities were making efforts to ensure the safety of students and staff members.

Thirty Al-Falah DPS school students and eight teachers were held up in the school, unable to return home in the Sharafiyyah district of the city due to traffic jammed roads and flooded streets.'We have arranged accommodation for them. They had come to school to attend Indian Republic Day functions,' said Zia Nadvi, the school's director.

Nearly 100 employees of the Ministry of Information and the Islamic Development Bank were trapped inside their buildings. The Palestine Street and Hail Street were the worst affected and people called them Palestine River and Hail River.

The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment predicted rains accompanied by strong winds in coming hours.'We expect heavy downpours in the northeastern parts of Jeddah, north of Makkah and Hijrah Road,' it said.

Air traffic at King Abdulaziz International Airport was unaffected.'The air traffic control and operation systems at the airport are well-prepared to deal with such situations,' said Khaled Al-Khaibary, spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation.

He said the landing and takeoff of flights were taking place at the airport normally despite the rains.'Usually, pilots will be instructed to keep their planes floating in the air if there are lots of water on runaways. But today the water level on runways was at an acceptable level for landing and taking off. Visibility was also OK.'