Egypt has been struck by one of the most extreme weather phenomena in 26 years that has resulted in, at least, 21 casualties.
Heavy rainfalls initiated on late Wednesday, March 11, 2020, and persisted the following 2 days. The weather phenomenon has caused intense flooding, strong winds and sandblasts in the region. "This level of instability in weather conditions has not occurred with such force since 1994," Mahmoud Shahin, director of the analysis department at the Egyptian Meteorological Authority, stated.
The recorded precipitation reached 20 and 25 millimeters in 24 hours, according to measurements in Mersa Matruh, a port located on the Mediterranean Sea and in the Suez Canal, respectively.
The government of Egypt decided to close roads, schools, public offices, the Luxor International Airport, the port of Sharm El-Sheikh in the Rea Sea and the port of Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, cruises across the Nile River from Luxor to Aswan were suspended.
Officials warned people to avoid unnecessary transportations and mentioned that cars should not be parked in low-elevation areas or near vegetation as they could be swept away by floods.
Shelters opened across the country to house anyone affected by the weather incident.
2 railways in Cairo collided as a signal system error occurred due to bad weather. 13 people were injured but, fortunately, there were no fatalities.
Most of the dead victims were located in the countryside of Egypt. Among them, there were 6 children that were either crushed as their houses collapsed by floods or electrocuted. Moreover, a motorist was reported dead after his vehicle drifted in a canal due to strong winds while a worker lost his life trying to repair a light pole.
The amount of precipitation received was critical for Egypt, but it is not considered high in general. Intense rainfalls have put to the test the sewage system of Cairo which failed, resulting in floods in the capital of Egypt. Officials were forced to shut it down on Thursday. The system will return to normality when the weather crisis is over.
The conditions ameliorated by Saturday, March 15, as the storm moved away from Egypt and is currently heading to the Middle East.
Sources: Associated Press, Aljazeera, Arabnews, Accuweather
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