Emergency teams were working round the clock to clear flooded roads and highways yesterday as torrential rains wreaked havoc across the kingdom over the last 48 hours.
Citizens and residents took to social media to post videos of their swamped neighbourhoods and households as well as cars stuck in rainwater and requested authorities to intervene and clear the blocks.
Hidd, Gudaibiya, Hoora, Hamad Town, Malkiya, Sitra, Sanad, Lawzi, Zinj, Isa Town, and Buri were reportedly among the most affected.
Government officials were out and about assessing the damage following reports that some shops and houses were inundated or partially destroyed. Trees were uprooted in several areas while billboards collapsed following strong winds that battered the country.
Tankers were deployed across all governorates to ensure traffic flowed as smoothly as possible.
The Education Ministry ordered the closure of all kindergartens, schools and universities as part of precautionary measures, yet several motorists claimed that they faced delays for up to five hours following the storm yesterday morning.
Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Minister Wael Al Mubarak held inspection visits across the kingdom to assess the aftermath.
The meteorological directorate on Monday said rain clouds came from the direction of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, with the weather fluctuations being attributed to an air depression affecting the Arabian Peninsula.
“Our emergency teams are hard at work to secure tanks and pumps and distribute them to governorates across the kingdom,” Mr Al Mubarak said in a statement yesterday.
“The team is working around the clock to drain accumulated rainwater on the streets to streamline the flow of traffic. This is being done in co-operation with the Works Ministry, Civil Defence and municipal councils in every governorate.”
Works Minister Ibrahim Al Hawaj has also been inspecting streets and tunnels over the past two days to ensure they are cleared of rainwater.
“The ministry is working hard to restore traffic to normalcy,” he said in a statement.
“I am once again asking people to not open any manhole covers and not throw anything in the drainage system as blockage will make workers’ jobs even more difficult. We must be able to work at full capacity to be as efficient as possible.”
Traffic was cut off at the Isa Town Gate tunnel on Shaikh Salman Highway in both directions yesterday morning following the accumulation of rainwater. Vehicles were diverted over the bridge. The Buri Tunnel was also closed down as a precautionary measure.
Several Bahrainis highlighted their plight on social media with a resident of A’ali putting up a video of him wading through water that had reached up to his knees.
“The water is everywhere,” the man claimed in the video. “Rooms have been flooded and are unusable as dirt and rubbish have flowed in from outside due to the rain.”
Another video showed a shop selling clothes in Segaiya being flooded with water leaking in from the main door, roof and even the spotlights, ruining the merchandise.
The new Al Fateh Highway tunnel was also reportedly flooded, with some drivers questioning the lack of proper drainage systems.
A resident of Lawzi posted a footage of Block 1018 being flooded, with the man claiming that his area was ‘drowning’.
Among the most shocking videos, however, was from a supermarket in Sitra which showed a leaky roof collapsing on the workers below. No injuries were reported.
Some stores were flooded on Monday evening and did not open yesterday due to waterlogging, while a few gyms, companies and visa offices also cancelled their appointments with clients as a safety measure.
Among those affected was Bahraini Mohammad Hassan who had a US visa appointment yesterday but could not reach on time.
“I left early anticipating traffic and road closures due to the rain, but still could not reach the centre on time,” he told the GDN. “I will take another appointment after a few days.”
The US Embassy posted an alert on social media yesterday rescheduling visa appointments after a road leading to its premises was flooded.
“Applicants have been informed about the new date and time,” the embassy said.
The St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manama suffered damages after rainwater seeped into the facility yesterday.
According to Father Richard Fermer, the cathedral complex was built in 1953 on what was then an untarmacked area.
Since then, roads near and leading to the cathedral have been tarmacked and as a result heightened, without sufficient drainage.
“During heavy rainfall, water starts flowing off the southern end of Al Mutannabi Avenue and into the compound, causing the cathedral and vestry to flood,” Father Fermer told the GDN.
“We have a pump and our own drainage, but it could not cope with the quantity of rain coming from the road yesterday.
“Unfortunately, the southern side of the roof of the Alum Morris Hall also let in water, which resulted in about a quarter of the ceiling tiles to collapse.
“The caretaker says this is the worst damage they have ever seen.”
Meanwhile, municipal workers have urged people to stay calm and be patient, stating that officials and government workers were trying to get things to normal as soon as possible.
“We need to do things step by step and we need to do things properly,” said a Northern Municipal worker on social media.
“We have sent seven tankers to markets and houses around the governorate that need it.
“All the water on the roads need to be prioritised, because if we do not collect those first, they will continue flowing into houses. The water will be collected and then dumped in a safe manner off the coast of Malkiya.”
Emergency teams from the Electricity and Water Authority were seen fixing lampposts, and resolving power outage issues in some neighbourhoods due to the rain.
Yesterday’s rain did not even spare MPs who had to drive through flooded roads to attend the weekly parliament session. MPs were forced to move between their offices and the meeting chamber in cars.
A tanker was deployed to drain the accumulated water outside the parliament building in Manama.
Throughout the day, the Interior Ministry called on road users to be cautious of the rain and high winds for their own safety. They extended the same warning to seafarers as well.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
Safety tips
- The Civil Defence has issued the following safety tips during heavy rain:
- When you encounter flooded roads, do not drive through them, as the depth of the water may be difficult to determine and may contain dangerous debris.
- Be aware of the entrance and exit of your area and available alternatives.
- Ensure your home or worksite is prepared for heavy rain.
- Move furniture, valuables and important documents to a high and safe place.
- If you are asked to evacuate, do so immediately.
- Official authorities will direct traffic from areas flooded with water.
- If you are trapped in a building, go to the upper floors and avoid the lower floors, but do not go up to closed upper floors, as you may become trapped there if the water level rises. Climb onto the roof only if necessary and call for help.
- A short circuit may occur due to water entering inside street lamps or exposed wires.
- Use protective clothing such as goggles, work gloves, hard hats and waterproof shoes when cleaning after the rain.
- Use an electric generator only outside, away from windows.
- Be aware of the risk of electrocution by avoiding contact with wet electrical equipment and power poles or if you are standing in water.
- Do not hesitate to call the main operations room on 999 in case of any emergency.
- Citizens and residents in Bahrain are being urged to report any accumulated rainwater and other emergency cases to the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry on 80008188,or the Works Ministry on 17545544.
- The above two hotlines registered until yesterday evening more than 300 calls from various areas around the kingdom, with 83 tankers and 103 pumps deployed to collect accumulated rainwater.
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