By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS
RIYADH: Two people died and one person was injured following torrential rains and hailstorms that brought Riyadh to its knees on Monday.
Roads, vehicles and properties were damaged in the unprecedented weather, which also led to around 275 accidents. Riyadh police said it had received 3,600 phone calls from members of the public.
The authorities also rescued 155 people. One person remains missing. The nationalities of those who died have not been revealed.
Schools, colleges and universities remained closed Tuesday on orders of Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, minister of education.
Because of the strong winds that lashed Riyadh’s Rawdah district, most satellite dishes in the area had been blown off from rooftops. Riyadh Municipality had also begun repairing the damage and municipality workers could be seen clearing streets on Tuesday.
Insurance companies refused to give details of claims they had received with employees saying they were not authorized to speak to the press. However, some companies said that they had received claims from motorists.
“Their papers will be processed after proper investigations. At the moment, it is too early to estimate the liabilities,” said one employee.
Most airline travelers who missed their flights on Monday due to traffic jams were able to fly Tuesday. An airline official at King Khaled International Airport said there has been no difficulty in rescheduling flights as it is the off-peak season at the moment. “Most outbound are currently flying at half capacity,” he added.
Saad bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri, director general of the Civil Defense, issued a Kingdom-wide alert on Tuesday advising people to be careful of sudden changes in the weather. In a statement, Al-Tuwaijri said continual climate fluctuations, such as downpours, are expected in various regions across the Kingdom. Showers may be preceded by winds that could reduce visibility in Riyadh and the Eastern Province as well as in some parts of Qassim, Hail, Makkah, Baha, Asir, Jazan and Najran.
The Civil Defense head also urged the public to stay away from flood-prone areas.
Commenting on Wednesday’s weather conditions, an official from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection said there is a possibility of rain over some of the central and eastern parts of the Kingdom.
He said clouds will appear in the Kingdom’s southwestern and western highlands — especially in the afternoon — in the Taif, Al-Baha, Asir, Jazan and Najran regions. There is a chance of fog occurring over the central and eastern regions and the southwestern and western highlands during the night and at dawn, the official added.
Arab News
