Flash Flood Hits Jeddah Saudi Arabia, Killing Two People
VIVA – A video on social media Twitter shows a terrible flash flood in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24, 2022. In the @sebusher account, dozens of cars were submerged in the flood. Not only that, many other cars were washed away when the flash flood hit the city.
The 33-second video also shows how the flood submerged dozens of houses, and water filled the streets. As quoted from the Middle east eye site, according to Saudi Arabia's National Center for Meteorology, the rainfall in Jeddah’s southern area between 8 AM to 2 PM on Thursday in the local time which stood at 179 millimeters, was the "highest" ever recorded. It exceeded the amount of rainfall registered in 2009 when dozens of people died in flash floods.
The flash flood killed two people. It was conveyed by a spokesman for Saudi Arabia's civil defense in Mecca province. He also appealed to residents not to leave their homes, except for urgent needs.
The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported before dawn that schools in the city would be closed, as rains were forecast to continue throughout the day. Schools were also closed in the nearby towns of Rabigh and Khulais "to preserve the safety of male and female students", SPA stated.
The kingdom's schools are in the middle of final exams, yet schools had already been closed nationwide on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, after King Salman declared a holiday following Saudi Arabia's shock victory over Argentina in the World Cup.
Banjir melanda Kota Jeddah, Arab Saudi
Jeddah, a city of roughly four million people located close to the Red Sea, is often referred to as the "gateway to Mecca", where millions perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages each year.
Winter rainstorms and flooding occur almost every year in Jeddah, where residents have long decried poor infrastructure. Floods killed 123 people in the city in 2009.
