Inundated: An abandoned vehicle is seen in floodwaters caused by the abnormally heavy rain in Dubai. — AP
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians faced stressful moments after a freak storm wreaked havoc in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Noor Zaireen Zainal Abidin, 44, and her family were left stranded at the Abu Dhabi airport on Friday night after the Dubai airport was closed during the weekend.
“It was a stressful weekend and we were forced to transit in Abu Dhabi, before travelling via taxi to Dubai, in hopes that all the roads would be cleared by the time we arrived,” she said.
The mother of three, who works as a civil engineer, said that her family had to travel by taxi for more than 122km to Al-Jaddaf in Dubai, where they are currently residing.
“It took us about an hour and a half and we had to pay about AED250 (RM325.70) for the whole journey,” she said yesterday.
They were returning to Dubai after celebrating Hari Raya in Kuala Lumpur.
Stressful moment: Noor Zaireen, her husband Mohd Herman Muhamad, and their three children (from left) Emaan Adeena, Elnour Alveena and Eva Axelea, were forced to land at the Abu Dhabi airport on Friday night after Dubai International Airport, their original destination, was closed during the weekend.
The UAE had recorded its heaviest rainfall in history last week, which disrupted flights at the world’s busiest airfield for international travel.
News agency Associated Press reported that the rain began last Monday, soaking the sands and roadways of Dubai with some 20mm of rain.
The storms intensified on Tuesday morning and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail onto the city.
By the end of Tuesday, more than 142mm of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 94.7mm of rain at Dubai International Airport.
With record-breaking rainfall, many neighbourhoods in Dubai remain severely affected.
Bus transport and metro services also continue to be affected.
Noor Zaireen said it was a new experience for her after she moved to Dubai at the end of December last year.
“I was in Doha previously for 16 years and now our family has moved to Dubai,” she said.
Adverse weather: Izwan said that what he experienced was the worst rainfall episode in many years.
Izwan Adnan, 42, an oil and gas professional who has been residing in the Dubai city centre, said that what he experienced was the worst rainfall episode in many years.
Izwan said he had worked from home following the government’s advice.
“We received an adverse weather warning from the local authorities to the UAE residents to ensure that necessary preparations were made.
“Employers were urged to allow their staff to work from home while schools were advised to do online distance learning.
“During the thunderstorm, the excessive rain caused overflows and floods at service roads and major highways.
“However, local authorities were quick to respond to help the public.
“At the area I was residing, some were stranded on the roads for four to five hours, prompting them to leave their vehicles and walk to the nearest place of safety.
“This happened not only to car drivers but also public transport users due to the huge amount of rain,” he said.
However, Izwan said he was impressed by how the public had rallied to help each other during the challenging times.
“I saw some people had come out to help those who were stuck to get out of their cars because the water level was getting higher.
“I also noticed that several restaurants and food operators handed out free food and drinks to those who were affected.
“It shows the solidarity among the people during trying times,” he said, adding that he was thankful to the local authorities and government who were swift in handling the situation.
