Since Sunday, flash floods caused by heavy rains in Oman have killed at least 17 people, according to the country’s National Committee for Emergency Management (NCEM), said CNN on Tuesday.
That includes some 10 schoolchildren swept away in a vehicle driven by an adult, as condolences poured into the country from regional heads-of-state.
The government halted employees’ work in both the public and private sectors on Tuesday in five different governorates, including Musandam, Al Buraimi, Al Dhahirah, and Al Dakhiliyah, due to inclement weather.
The government has permitted employees to work remotely when merited by the circumstances.
Authorities in Oman are conducting “rescue operations” after stating that all schools in six governorates, including Muscat, will be closed on Monday “due to unstable weather conditions,” according to a UNOCHA statement.
Over the next several days, moderate to heavy rainfall is predicted in northeastern and northern Oman.
The UAE started feeling the devastating effects on Tuesday, as major highway networks flooded and vehicles were abandoned on Dubai’s roads, as a result.
The rains began overnight, creating ponding on the streets. Strong wind gusts exacerbated the already-tenuous situation at Dubai International Airport, resulting in the delay and cancellation of flights at the world’s largest international airport, which serves as the home base of Emirates.
Police and emergency crews drove carefully through the flooded streets, their emergency lights pulsating against the darkening dawn. Lightning streaked across the sky, occasionally reaching the peak of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest structure.
Schools in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, had generally been shut down in advance of the storm as a precaution, and government officials were working remotely as applicable. Many workers remained at home, while those who ventured out risked their safety.
Initial estimates showed that more than 30 mm of rain fell in Dubai this morning, with up to 128 mm forecast throughout the day.
Rain also spread across Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.