MAHAYIL ASIR — Heavy thundershowers accompanied by hailstones at the weekend marooned a number of vehicles in the industrial estate of Mahayil Asir, caused power outages and toppled billboards and streetlamps. The inclement weather in the region, residents said, was worst in recent memory. Several citizens said storms in Mahayil Asir were the strongest to hit the area in 20 years. The downpour, which lashed several centers, villages and rural complexes, triggered flash floods in valleys and ravines while roads leading to the governorate were inundated. Civil Defense teams were deployed on roads and valley-crossing points to warn people about the danger of crossing valleys, said Maj. Ahmad Aal Awwadh, Civil Defense spokesman in Asir Region. The rain stranded six vehicles on Jeddah Road and no drowning cases have been reported, he said. Civil Defense rescue and safety patrols have started a field survey and evacuated citizens from the valley beds and farms, he added. Maj. Aal Awwadh warned people not to risk their lives by crossing valleys swollen with fast-flowing floodwater. He also stressed the need for people to switch off electrical appliances and devices such as radios and TV sets when they hear thunder. __
