Rescue operations by Civil Defense teams are still under way in Belqrin and Mahayel in Asir because the recent torrential rains have caused considerable damage to property and infrastructure and left many people stranded. In Belqrin, the Civil Defense teams rushed to a flooded house in Al-Bazaza District and evacuated a family. As rescue teams worked to evacuate families from damaged homes, reports came in that water had been pouring from Al-Sarawat Mountains, flooding 50 farms near Wadi Taba. Also, a number of female and male students were trapped while they were returning from their schools to their homes. The floods at Wadi Habhaba, after torrential rains over a five-hour period, caused considerable damage to roads and other public infrastructure. Some elderly people said the region had not witnessed such heavy rains for more than five decades. Colonel Zahi Al-Almai, Director of the Civil Defense in Mahayel Asir led a team on a mission to help two motorists who were trapped in their cars by the floodwater. The team succeeded in rescuing the two motorists and towed their cars away. The Civil Defense authorities in Mahayel Asir have called on people to stay indoors and not to cross the valleys. The heavy rains also isolated Al-Bashair, Al-Barda and Al-Tala from the outside world and caused considerable damage to the land telephone network and electricity facilities. The police and municipality in Al-Bashair have mobilized all their teams to remove rocks and rubble which blocked the roads leading to Abha. Major Muhammad Al-Asmi, spokesman of the Civil Defense in the Asir Region, said a team rescued nine people who were trapped by the floods. They also managed to help a man and a woman before they could be swept away. He said the Civil Defense teams stopped several cars from crossing the flooded valleys. The Civil Defense Administration has formed committees to assess the extent of the damage.
