No cause for concern, says mayoralty official By Mohammed Hadhadh and Wafa BadawoodJEDDAH – Thunderstorms accompanied by heavy showers prompted renewed panic Tuesday evening as authorities ordered east Jeddah residents out of their homes and schools were closed early. Officials moved to reassure the public that a repetition of the fatal events of last month would not occur, noting that as of late Tuesday night only 10mm of rainfall had been recorded, and were confident that emergency responses were put into effect successfully. Residents of Al-Tawfeeq and Al-Samir, in the shadow of the Misk sewage lake in the east of the city, were told to leave their homes Tuesday morning by Civil Defense officials after warnings from the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment Protection (MEP) had been received the previous day of possible heavy rainfall and storms. Locals neighboring the site sought alternative accommodation with friends and relatives. Saoud Al-Harbi, who watched the rainfall from his brother's apartment in the Al-Safa District was one east Jeddah resident fearful of a repeat of the fatal floods of last month. “I live in Al-Tawfeeq, and since the ‘Wednesday Disaster' my wife has been keeping a constant eye on weather reports on the Internet, and as soon as they released the news she told me and we left the house,” Al-Harbi said. Al-Harbi added that he did not wish to see the “sight of fear pass through the eyes of my family again” after they were ordered out of their home by Civil Defense several days after the rains as fears rose that the sewage lake dam might burst. “My wife woke me up in a panic, and we had to grab the most important things such as official documents and get out of the house,” Al-Harbi said. According to initial information Tuesday night from the Mayor's Office, the rains brought a fall of only 10mm. Mayoralty spokesman Ahmed Al-Ghamdi said that the Emergency Committee response plan was put into force as soon as the first warnings of rain were received. Meetings were convened as of 5 P.M. Tuesday and contact assumed with Civil Defense to continue through the night under the direct supervision of Jeddah Governor Prince Mish'al Bin Majed. The situation at Misk Lake, Al-Ghamdi said, was “reassuring.” “There is no cause for concern,” Al-Ghamdi said. “The possible flood running toward Jeddah from the east is being monitored by the Emergency Operations Room which received its first information from teams at mountain sites in the far east of the Jeddah governorate.” Al-Ghamdi added that the Mayor was keeping a personal watch on the mayoralty work plan being conducted at municipalities around the governorate to keep the water level down at residential, government and school sites. “The rains have slowed down traffic but not brought it to a halt,” he said. The Jeddah head of Civil Defense, Abdullah Al-Jiddawi, said MEP warnings of possible storms and “medium to heavy rainfall” prompted an immediate response in areas of prime concern. “Rescue teams were sent to Old Jeddah areas as a precaution against flooding,” Al-Jiddawi said, adding that Civil Defense officers had also been deployed to ensure a swift response to accidents. “We are ready to deal with any emergency,” he stated. Girls' schools close early Earlier in the day a number of girl schools were ordered to close early as a precautionary measure after “medium to heavy” rainfall was forecast for the city. The Girls' Education Department issued the order for all schools in districts located on flood routes to send pupils home, and parents were notified to collect their children from class at noon. King Abdulaziz University and Dar Al-Hekma College also finished early for the day as a precaution and evening classes were canceled. “The weather changes rapidly in the Kingdom this time of year, and it is our duty to notify government bodies and citizens,” said the Director of the MEP's Emergency Administration, Tariq Ashmawi. Weather reports said thunderstorms were expected Wednesday morning in Tabuk and Hail, possibly extending to Makkah, Madina, Yanbu and Jeddah as well as central parts of the Kingdom. As of 2 A.M. Wednesday, rain continued to fall. – Okaz/SG– Ibrahim Alawi, Muhammad Al-Daqee and Fouzia Khan contributed to the report. __
