RAS AL KHAIMAH // A young man has drowned after his car was swept into a wadi by surging floodwater after torrential rain.
Friends dived into the water in Hakal wadi in the Shamal area of Ras Al Khaimah on Sunday in a desperate attempt to find Hassan Al Shamala, 22. Police recovered the young Emirati’s body on Monday.
Residents said they had not seen such downpours for years and spoke of their shock at the man’s death.
“Youths rushed to the wadi after being notified about their friend,” said one resident, Abdullah Al Shamal.
“Some men dived into the water trying to rescue the youngster but failed to find him.
“It had rained so heavily this time and the entire area including roads and valleys was flooded. The area hasn’t witnessed such rains in recent years.”
More than 130 members of the UAE Search and Rescue team took part in the search after being dispatched around 2am on Monday by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
Lt Col Mohammed Abdul Al Ansari, head of the search and rescue team, expressed his profound sorrow and sympathy to the bereaved family, praying Allah Almighty to rest the deceased in eternal peace, and to inspire his family patience and solace.
The floods engulfed homes, uprooted trees, destroyed crops and killed animals, and power was cut off for more than seven hours, Mr Al Shamal said.
Police in RAK had to rescue 99 people, including 10 Emiratis brought to safety by helicopter after they became stranded in Al Beah wadi, and 44 cars were recovered.
In Ajman, several areas remained flooded and many cars were submerged.
Police warned people against visiting wadis or other areas that are susceptible to flooding as more unsettled weather is expected from Thursday, including rain, sand storms and rough seas.
“Wadis and areas near mountains are badly affected by rain. Visitors and tourists should refrain from venturing into these places during the present time,” they said.
Police in Abu Dhabi have also used Twitter to urge drivers to reduce their speed and take care because of strong winds whipping up dust, leading to low visibility.
A measure of the severity of the rain in the past few days has been the amount of water recorded in dams.
At least four million cubic metres of water have been collected throughout the country from Thursday to Sunday, said Salim Fareed Akram, director of dams at the Ministry of Environment and Water.
The largest amount of rainfall was recorded in Fujairah and Masafi, he said.
“The ministry is examining dams to ensure their technical safety and abilities to collect rain water and avoid flooding,” he said.
The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology has forecast more turbulent and potentially thundery conditions for the whole country from Thursday, and sand storms are also expected.
The centre said significant temperature drops should be expected and it warned motorists to take precautions when driving in the rain.
There is a small chance of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday in western and coastal regions with seas becoming rough at times.
ykakande@thenational.ae
