Traffic chaos in Dubai, Sharjah as Heavy Rain Lashes UAE

By Naveen Frank
Dubai and Sharjah

 
Sharjah, Jan 15: Dubai and Sharjah were just coming to terms with the inconvenience caused by the visit of the US president  George Bush on Monday.The residents woke up Tuesday morning to witness unprecedented  rains all over the UAE with winds reaching upto 45kph.
 
While Abu Dhabi escaped the brunt of it, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Kaimah experienced heavy rains all night. Most major roads were water logged, making office goers and school children almost impossible to reach their destinations.  All schools have been shut  for two days. This is perhaps the first time a desert land has declared a rain holiday  .

It took some commuters upto 4 hours to reach their offices.  Many missed their flights as they could not reach the airport on time.  Police had to shut off arterial roads and divert traffic on account of the massive flooding.  Most school children were seen waiting long hours for the school buses which never arrived.
 
There were serpentine traffic queues seen all over Dubai and Sharjah roads. Most roads had  knee deep water, thus making it difficult for pedestrian to walk.

Temperatures have dropped to 16 degrees Celsius and the weather forecast has predicted at least 2 inches of rain which is a near disaster for this desert land.  More showers are expected to lash the UAE  during the next 24 hours.