VIDEO: 'Loyal Hands' lift thousands to safety amid record rainfall

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Brigadier General Dr. Ali Salem Al Tunaiji, the Ministry of Interior official spokesman said during the media briefing on the adverse weather conditions in the country.

Al Tunaiji said the specialized police teams worked in coordination with the National Emergency and Crisis and Disasters Management Authority to respond to any emergencies as a result of torrential rains and floods in several regions of the country. Around 3,897 have been sheltered and 870 people were rescued.

The Ministry of Interior said on Thursday that a total of 4,225 people were evacuated with the help of 1,638 personnel and 582 vehicles took part in rescue operations.

This crisis demonstrated the ability of the UAE society and institutions to face emergencies, disasters and crises, and the specialized teams working continuously within practical and scientific plans in preparation and readiness to deal with all emergency cases.

Al Tunaiji said, “We send a direct message to the public to adhere to the instructions of the concerned authorities, to be careful and to abide by safety requirements and not to leave unaffected homes, especially in areas that witness heavy rain except for necessity, and we stress the importance of driving with great caution, and staying away from water valleys, torrents and rugged areas such as mountains.

Highest rain in 30 years

The Emirate of Fujairah witnessed the highest amount of rain in the country in 30 years with a record of 221.8 mm rainfall.

The UAE weather body said rain accompanied at times by lightning and thunder fell on most areas of the UAE on Wednesday, causing valleys to be flooded and water to gather in some areas. The highest rainfall volume in the country was recorded in 27 years during July in Fujairah Port at 221.8 mm.

Cloudy Thursday

Today, Thursday, the country is witnessing a state of atmospheric instability that continues as a result of the presence of two upper and shallow air depressions extending from northern India and southern Pakistan, working on the flow of different formations of clouds from the Sea of Oman towards the country, interspersed with cumulus rainy clouds accompanied by lightning and thunder sometimes over separate areas of the country.

The National Center of Meteorology expects Thursday’s weather to be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, with a chance of convective rainy clouds forming over some eastern and western regions during the day, with a gradual rise in temperatures, and winds southeast to northeast, light to moderate in speed, and active to strong. Sometimes with the activity of clouds exciting dust and dust. It is also expected that Friday's weather will be partly cloudy in general, with the possibility of the formation of some convective clouds, which may be accompanied by rain in some areas during the day.

Military operations

The joint operations command announced implementation of the "Loyal Hands" operation in support of the civil authorities in the Emirate of Fujairah, which witnessed weather fluctuations that led to floods in various areas in the emirate on Wednesday evening. This was revealed by the Ministry of Defence on its account on twitter.

An aerial view shows most of Fujairah flooded after heavy rainfall.

The Ministry explained that the operation contributed to rescuing the stranded people in the flooded areas and rescuing those who were trapped inside their homes, as they were transferred to safe areas.

No injuries were reported, the Ministry confirmed.

UAE Air Wing transferred medical cadres from Fujairah to Kalba Hospital.

Don’t visit Eastern Region

The Sharjah Police confirmed the readiness of the security and rescue teams around the clock to deal with the exceptional weather situation, calling upon all members of society to abide by the security instructions so that they are safe.

The police also emphasised the need to comply with the instructions related to not going to the Eastern Region now, unless it's absolutely necessary. There has been considerable impact of the weather fluctuations on the region, leading to torrential rain, and flooded roads and valleys. So visitors should steer clear of the Eastern Region until the weather is normal.

In the meantime, the Police and Civil Defence teams are working effortlessly to ensure and protect individuals and properties. The Sharjah Police urged residents in the Eastern Region to deal with emergency weather conditions with utmost responsibility, exercise the utmost care and caution, and stay away from places of surface run-offs, torrents and rainwater pools.

This will stop the breakdown of vehicles not familiar with negotiating the roads in these areas under adverse weather conditions. They are also advised to report immediately any accidents, via the emergency number /999/.