UAE Battles Recovery After Historic Rainfall Disrupts Nation

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced its heaviest recorded rainfall, causing flooding in major highways and communities. Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest for international travel, resumed operations at Terminal 1, while long-haul carrier Emirates allowed local passengers to arrive at Terminal 3. However, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths stated that the airport needed at least another 24 hours to return to its usual schedule. The storm caused over 142 mm of rainfall in Dubai within 24 hours, surpassing the average annual rainfall of 94.7 mm at Dubai International Airport.Intense floods also affected neighbouring Oman, with the death toll rising to at least 21. The UAE's drainage systems were overwhelmed, leading to flooded neighbourhoods, business districts, and parts of the 12-lane Sheikh Zayed Road highway in Dubai. Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced plans to study the condition of infrastructure throughout the UAE and limit the damage caused.The flooding raised questions about whether the UAE's cloud seeding campaign contributed to the heavy rainfall. However, experts argued that the storm systems were forecast well in advance and that cloud seeding alone would not have caused such flooding. Scientists also attribute climate change to more intense and frequent extreme storms, droughts, floods, and wildfires worldwide.