Dubai Rushes to Restore Flights After Deadly Floods

This week, the desert country experienced record-breaking floods, resulting in the unfortunate loss of life and causing Dubai city to come to a halt. Although Dubai International Airport, a crucial transportation center, has now partially resumed its operations.

On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates faced challenges in restoring normalcy after an extraordinary flood submerged its futuristic city of Dubai. The floodwaters inundated roads, highways, and even caused the airport to become non-operational.

Dubai International Airport, renowned as the busiest hub for international travel, managed to partially resume flights on Thursday. This marked the first time since the powerful storm struck the city and other regions of the UAE on Tuesday.

Despite the efforts, certain significant roads and highways in Dubai remained closed due to the flooding. This included a partial closure of the road connecting Dubai to the capital city of Abu Dhabi.

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Gradual Resumption of Airport Traffic

Airport operations are gradually returning to normal following the unprecedented storm that caused the cancellation of 1,244 flights and the diversion of 41 others on Tuesday and Wednesday. Flight crews and pilots faced challenges reaching the airport due to flooded runways.

Dubai Airports Chief Operating Officer Majed Al Joker anticipates that Dubai International Airport will be operating at 60% to 70% capacity by the end of Thursday and fully operational within the next 24 hours.

Numerous passengers found themselves spending the night at the airport due to flight cancellations and flooded surrounding roads. The airport management advised passengers on Thursday to only come to the airport if their flights were confirmed.

Emirates, the national carrier of the UAE, cautioned that the airport was still congested on Thursday despite some flights resuming. The airline mentioned that delays in both arriving and departing flights were still possible as they work diligently to restore normal operations.

As of Thursday, Dubai airport’s website reported nearly 200 departures either delayed or canceled.

Dubai Flooded roads and highways

Life was slowly getting back to normal on Thursday, even though many major roads and highways were still flooded.

People were going back to check on their abandoned cars to see if they still worked.

Tanker trucks equipped with vacuums were heading to areas outside Dubai’s downtown core. Schools would remain closed until next week.

Residents of the financial hub found themselves stuck in traffic, offices, and homes, with many reporting leaks in their houses. The famous shopping malls in Dubai were filled with water pouring from the roofs, and vehicles were submerged.

Jonathan Richards, a British resident in Dubai, described the situation as “like an alien invasion.” He woke up to people in kayaks with their pets and suitcases outside his house.

Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wrote, “Crises show the strength of countries and societies. The recent climate crisis demonstrated the care, awareness, unity, and love for every part of the country from all its citizens and residents.”

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What caused this unprecedented storm?

The storm resulted in a year’s worth of rainfall in just one day, leading to at least one fatality. The state-news agency WAM referred to it as “a historic weather event” that surpassed any recorded data since 1949.

Rainfall is a rare occurrence in the UAE and the greater Arabian Peninsula region, known for its hot and dry climate.

Some have raised concerns about the UAE’s cloud seeding process, which aims to artificially induce rainfall, as a possible cause for the unprecedented rains. However, climate experts attribute the event to global warming.

Climate change has been responsible for extreme weather events worldwide, and researchers predict that it will lead to higher temperatures, increased humidity, and an elevated risk of flooding in parts of the desert Gulf region.

In an editorial on Thursday, Abu Dhabi’s state-linked newspaper, The National, described the heavy rains as a warning to countries in the wider Persian Gulf region. It emphasized the need for these nations to “climate-proof their futures” as their infrastructure struggles to handle heavy rainfall.

Last year, Dubai hosted the United Nations climate summit COP28.