At least 12 people are dead as torrential rains have flooded Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city, as thunderstorms reportedly turned “wadis into rivers and alleyways into raging torrents.” Local meteorologists report the city received 22 millimetres (.86 inches) of rain over a few hours.
Rain near Saudi Arabia’s Northern border this week.
Two people were electrocuted when they touched a lamp post as they were attempting to cross a water-filled road, Saudi daily Okaz reported via Gulf News. Schools have been cancelled and parts of the city are experiencing traffic standstills as authorities begin the cleanup.
The last major flooding in Jeddah was in 2009, when rains caused streets to turn into rivers. The catastrophe was described by Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense as the worst flooding in 27 years. As many as 77 died and billions in dollars in damage were inflicted on the city on Saudi Arabia’s western border on the Arabian Gulf.
The governor of Tabuk in Saudi Arabia inspecting a preventative ditch for floods in his region.
In the aftermath of that tragedy, the Saudi government jailed 45 people including government officials. They were charged with offences including the payment and acceptance of bribes, forgery, misuse of public money, engaging in illegal business and money laundering, according to Arab News via The National.
In 2013, Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh also experienced deadly floods.
Much of Saudi Arabia is desert, but the Kingdom does get a varying amount of rain depending on region and seasonal weather patterns. Last year, heavy rains caused school closings and damage in parts of Saudi Arabia, but did not affect major cities.
