Heavy rain floods Qatar roads

November 25, 2015

Doha, Nov 25: Many motorists in Qatar have spent the morning literally wading through traffic as continuous rainfall has led to heavy flooding on the roads. And then many parents ended up returning to schools to pick up their children after widespread flooding and leakages were reported.

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In addition to school closures, the precipitation has caused flight delays and also permeated hotel and malls.

Traffic notwithstanding, some residents have taken advantage of the unusual weather and are having some fun.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar has also closed for the day, telling its community that the current forecast is calling for “significant rainfall between 1-3pm.”

Criticism about how authorities have been handling the rain is already being raised.

Speaking to Doha News, Al Sharq journalist Ahmed Al Mohannadi, said that the capital has turned into a “lake,” adding that heavy rain shouldn’t paralyze the country.

He said although Qatar has new buildings and the MET can predict weather changes beforehand, it still continues to make the same mistakes with regards to construction and its drainage systems, and not having enough equipped emergency squads to deal with the heavy rain.

He added that no one was being held accountable for this problem. “We don’t learn from our previous mistakes,” he said. He also called on SEC to suspend schools tomorrow as well, to prevent any surprises.

The rain is starting to taper off in many parts of Doha, but traffic gridlock remains, in part because parents are attempting to pick up their children up from school.

The Ministry of Interior is advising anyone who needs emergency assistance to call 999 for help.

Hyatt Plaza is closed due to flooding. A receptionist told Doha News that it may reopen later in the day.

Several nurseries will be closing early today, including Starfish Lanes.

The Supreme Education Council has closed independent schools early, in phases based on the grades of the students.

The International School of London is closing at 11am. In Education City, at least one school is also shutting due to the weather,

Compass International School, Madinat Khalifa has also closed early, citing in an email to parents “issues with flooding, electricity supply issues and there is still the concern of continual heavy rain at pick up time.”

Hamad Hospital is operating normally, but is canceling all appointments at its Bone and Joint Center “due to operational issues related to the inclement weather.

All patients affected will be contacted by our patient contact center and their appointments rescheduled at a clinically appropriate time,” HMC told Doha News in a statement.

The US Embassy in Doha has closed due to “inclement weather.

Speaking to Doha News, the manager of Dar Al Salam mall also said it would be closing temporarily this morning, as water from the road has flowed into the basement and flooded the mall.

According to residents on social media, flooding was widespread across Doha, including in Mesaieed, Al Wabb, on the Corniche, near Civil Defense roundabout and Bin Omran, as well as several parts of West Bay.

The rainfall has also caused several school closures, including Doha College – Al Waab (which was flooded) and West Bay campus, Doha English Speaking School (DESS) and the American School of Doha (ASD) “due to unsafe weather conditions.”

Flights
Flights at Hamad International Airport also appear to be delayed, but it is unclear if that is due to flooding or the lightning.

According to FlightRadar, several planes appeared to be circling HIA, unable to land. A few had delayed departures, but planes could be seen taking off by 8am this morning.

Meanwhile, residents are also reporting flooding and leaks in their homes and at hotels.

Forecast
According to the Qatar Meteorology Department (MET), the country will see heavy rain and thunderstorms today, weather that will likely continue tomorrow.

Motorists should also keep in mind that hazard lights are not to be used during rainy weather, unless the vehicle is actually stopped for an emergency.

For its part, the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has been working to pump out extra water from flood roads, and reminds people to call these numbers for help.

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News Network
October 1,2024

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The Israeli regime has conducted a series of deadly airstrikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus, with Syrian media reporting three rounds of strikes in the capital area in one night.

An Israeli aircraft launched several missiles from the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, targeting locations southwest of Damascus.

Syrian air defenses successfully intercepted many of these missiles, according to the Syrian state media.

According to the Syrian military, the Israeli aggression led to the martyrdom of three civilians, the injury of nine others, and significant damage to private property.

The Al Mayadeen news outlet reports that local journalist Safaa Ahmad was among those killed in the attack, which hit the Mezzeh neighborhood in the Syrian capital. Rescue crews are dealing with fires on the ground.

Syrian television said one of its anchors was killed in the Israeli strike on Damascus on Tuesday.

State television said in a statement that it "mourns anchor Safaa Ahmad who was martyred in the Israeli aggression on the capital Damascus."

The official SANA news agency earlier said "air defense systems are intercepting hostile targets for the third time tonight in the Damascus area," using a phrase that usually refers to Israeli aggression.

Subsequently, another wave of attacks was aimed at the suburbs of Damascus which was intercepted by air defenses.

Syria has consistently called on the UN Security Council to take action against these assaults, which it views as clear violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Israel frequently targets military positions inside Syria, especially those of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

The Tel Aviv regime rarely comments on its attacks on Syrian territories, which many see as a knee-jerk reaction to the Syrian government’s phenomenal success in confronting and decimating terrorism.

Damascus has time and again called on the UN Security Council to put an end to the regime’s attacks that violate Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Israeli attacks on Syria come amid the regime’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 41,600 people, mostly women and children, over the past year.

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News Network
September 29,2024

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Jerusalem, Oct 28: Israel said on Sunday it was carrying out new air raids against civilians and Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, after assassinating resistance group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader Nasrallah was assassinated in an Israeli strike a day earlier on Beirut’s southern suburbs, dealing a massive blow to the group he had led for decades.

Lebanon has declared three days of mourning for Hassan Nasrallah.

The development marks a sharp escalation in nearly a year of tit-for-tat cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel, and risks plunging the whole region into a wider war.

Israel continued to pound Lebanon on Sunday, with the ruthless military confirming it attacked dozens of targets in the territory of Lebanon in the last few hours.

The military has attacked hundreds of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon since Saturday, it said, as it seeks to disable the group’s military operations and infrastructure.

Israel has raised the prospect of a ground operation against Hezbollah, prompting widespread international concern.

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News Network
October 4,2024

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Powerful blasts rocked Beirut overnight in some of the heaviest Israeli strikes on the capital of Lebanon so far as the Lebanese Health Ministry reports dozens killed and over 150 wounded in bombing attacks across the country in the past 24 hours.

Israel launched several waves of airstrikes on Beirut’s southern neighborhood of Dahiyeh on Thursday.

The regime used powerful bunker-buster bombs in its latest attacks, whose number was more than a dozen.

Several civilian buildings were the main goals of the regime’s latest strikes.

Reports indicate that more bombs were used in the latest attacks compared to the strike that killed the leader of the Hezbollah resistance movement, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, last Friday.

The attacks also hit the vicinity of Beirut International Airport.

Israel’s strikes also targeted several other locations, including Hezbollah’s media relations office and a warehouse near the Beirut airport.

A source close to Hezbollah said Israel had conducted 11 consecutive strikes in south Beirut on Thursday night.

AFP correspondents in the Lebanese capital heard loud bangs that made car alarms go off and buildings shake.

"Israel struck the southern suburbs 11 consecutive times," the source said on the condition of anonymity.

Giant balls of flame rose from the targeted site with thick smoke billowing and flares shooting out.

Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said that "more than 10 consecutive strikes have been recorded so far, in one of the strongest raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut since the start of the Israeli war on Lebanon."

The strikes echoed to mountain regions outside Beirut, the NNA said.

Earlier Thursday, the Israeli army issued an “urgent warning” to the residents of the south Beirut area of Burj al-Barajneh to evacuate along with maps of the area.

“You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the [Israeli army] will operate in the near future,” its official Arabic language spokesperson posted on X.

The death toll from Israeli aerial assaults across Lebanon since early October 2023 has passed the 1,700 mark with nearly 8,770 injured, according to Lebanese government data.

In response, Hezbollah has fired barrages of rockets and drones towards Israeli targets.

Hezbollah has been responding to the aggression with numerous retaliatory operations, including with hypersonic ballistic missiles, targeting the occupied Palestinian territories.

The Lebanese resistance movement has vowed to keep up its operations against Israel as long as the Israeli regime continues its Gaza war, which has so far killed more than 41,780 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The qualitative strikes of Hezbollah have so far thwarted any hostile "Israeli" advance into Lebanese territory.

Hezbollah said in a statement that at least 17 Israeli troops have been killed since the regime launched its incursion into southern Lebanon.

Since dawn on Thursday, the Lebanese resistance fighters have been repelling every attempt by the Israeli elite forces to advance on multiple fronts in southern Lebanon, inflicting heavy losses in equipment and personnel.

A Lebanese political analyst recently praised Hezbollah’s operational capabilities, warning that Israeli forces will become "sitting ducks" for the Lebanese resistance group should they attempt a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

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