Cars are stuck in flood waters and schools are closed in the United Arab Emirates. Norwegian Tinius is locked up at the airport without food or water.
Wednesday 17 April at 12:19 p.m
The short version
- Dubai experiences heavy rainfall, equivalent to one year’s rain. The precipitation should have come only during Tuesday
- Cars are stuck in the floodwaters, schools are closed, and people are encouraged to work from home
- Dubai International Airport has canceled several flights
Sea view
When Tuesday was over, a staggering 142 millimeters of rain had fallen in Dubai, writes the news agency AP.
The amount is far above the annual average of 94.7 millimetres. The internet now abounds with videos of cars and planes struggling to make their way.
TOUGH CONDITIONS: Traffic is at a standstill on a flooded highway in Dubai. Photo: Rula Rouhana / Reuters
On Tuesday evening, the airport in Dubai, which is among the world‘s busiest, was closed. On Wednesday, there are still major problems due to the extreme weather.
– We advise you NOT to come to the airport, unless absolutely necessary. The flights continue to be delayed and diverted, the airport writes on Facebook.
The airline Emirates states that it has stopped the check-in of passengers from 06:00 on Wednesday until midnight.
WAITING AND WAITING: Picture from the airport in Dubai, where Norwegian Tinius Krogh and five others are among the many waiting for information about what is happening. Photo: Tinius Krogh
Norwegian Tinius Krogh sat in the middle of it all until Wednesday night.
Krogh writes to VG that he and five others have been locked in a closed area for four to five hours without food or water, and without any information to get.
– People are knocking on the doors and begging to get out of here. But it almost seems that they do not recognize that we are here, writes Krogh.
A video VG has obtained from the departure hall shows people shouting and knocking on the windows to get out. Tinius says that he has spoken to others who have sat for at least nine hours.
FLOOD-PROOF: Norwegian Tinius Krogh is one of many flood-proof in Dubai after the extreme rain. Photo: Private
He says there was “a little rain” when they got off the plane in Dubai, but nothing extraordinary.
– There were still clear traces of a violent rainstorm, he writes.
Shortly after VG contacted Krogh, he was told that his flight had been cancelled. But he has not been given a new flight or a place to sleep.
The police have warned road users to use the car and ask everyone to drive calmly if you have to go out.
– In cooperation with specialists who work around the clock, we ensure the utmost security, signed the police in Dubai X Tuesday evening.
See video of what it looks like in Dubai here:
– The government has extended the home office for employees until Wednesday 17 April due to the weather conditions, the government writes in an update on Tuesday.
All schools are closed. All adults are also encouraged by the government to have a home office.
Man died
A man in his 70s died in the city of Ras Al Khaimah on Tuesday when his car was hit by a violent flood, writes Reuters and quotes local media.
Also in neighboring Oman, 19 people have died, including school children, in recent days due to extreme rainfall.
BOM FAST: It was a wet affair for those who ventured out onto the roads on Tuesday. Photo: Abdel Hadi Ramahi / Reuters / NTB
The climate in Dubai is usually hot and dry. It rains little in the area and the lack of fresh water is a challenge in the country, writes United Nations Association on its pages.