Schools Shut, Roads Blocked After Heavy Rains & Storm In Jeddah

Saudi coastal city Jeddah got affected by the heavy rains & storm. As a result 24 flights were delayed, 2 people died, schools shut & many roads are blocked.

Heavy rains struck western Saudi Arabia on Thursday, along with the seaside city of Jeddah, causing flights to be delayed and forcing the closure of schools. At least two people have already died, according to officials.

The Mecca regional government issued a call for everyone to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary after two fatalities were reported so far.

The Mecca region includes Mecca city as well as Jeddah, the second-largest city in the kingdom with a population of about four million.

As soon as it started to rain on Thursday, the two-way road that many pilgrims use to travel to Mecca was shut down, according to state media. However, authorities said it was later reopened.

The state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya television aired footage of worshippers revolving about the Kaaba, the cube-shaped edifice that serves as the center of Islam, at the Grand Mosque in Mecca while it was pouring outside.

Images shared on social media from Jeddah showed traffic snarled by standing water and some vehicles half submerged.

The departure of several aircraft has been delayed owing to weather, according to the city’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, which asked travelers to call companies for the most recent schedules.

Before daybreak, the official Saudi Press Agency announced that municipal schools will be temporarily closed due to the expected persistence of the rain.

To ensure the safety of both male and female pupils, schools were also canceled in the neighboring towns of Rabigh and Khulais, according to SPA.

Final examinations are currently taking place in the kingdom, although all schools were already closed on Wednesday as a result of King Salman’s proclamation of a holiday in the wake of Saudi Arabia’s shocking World Cup victory against Argentina.

In Jeddah, where locals have long complained about deficient infrastructure, winter rainstorms as well as flooding happen practically every year.

In the city, floods claimed the lives of 123 people in 2009 and another 10 two years later.