UAE: Heavy rains, strong winds damage vehicles, home gardens

Government's swift response helped limit damage, say residents

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Sun 6 Aug 2023, 2:19 PM

Last updated: Sun 6 Aug 2023, 4:10 PM

As strong winds and heavy rains lashed parts of UAE over the last few days, some residents faced damage to vehicles and property.

On Friday, Mohammed Sajjad was driving by the Al Hayar area in Abu Dhabi with his family when strong winds and heavy rain forced him to pull over to the side of the road. As the winds gathered pace, a signpost fell over on his car.

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“We had been driving for a bit, but the rain became really strong and almost impossible to drive,” he said. “So, we pulled over and waited for almost two hours. Once the wind quieted down, we were just preparing to leave when the signpost fell without any warning. My leg was on the accelerator. If it had fallen even two seconds later, it would have smashed through my windscreen. My wife and my son got really scared. I am now trying to get the insurance sorted for it.”

Several parts of the country have been facing inclement weather since Friday. Sandstorms, hail, heavy rain and strong winds hit many emirates causing severe damages. Some traders in several parts of the country lost stocks and suffered structural damages to their shops due to the heavy winds.

This video posted by @stormcenter shows shopkeepers in Sharjah struggling to stop their goods, including suitcases from being flown away by the wind.

Sharjah resident Tayyaba shared this photo of shops that had suffered several damages including shattered glass

Residents have praised the swift response of authorities to ensure that the damages are fixed. Early today morning, Dubai municipality workers were out and about the emirate removing fallen trees and other hazards. In other emirates, workers round the clock to clear debris and assist those who had suffered damage to property.

Damaged Gardens

Meanwhile, some residents of gated communities in Dubai spoke about severe damages they had seen.

Shehna Mansoor, who lives in Dubai Hills estate spoke of how she had seen trees toppled over in her neighbourhood.

“Right outside my house, we had a small tree that fell over,” she said. “Luckily, my own garden was fairly unaffected. We just had some fallen over pots and plants. But some of my neighbours had trees falling into their pools. Another one had their outdoor gazebo completely damaged. Trees have fallen down in several parts of the community.”

She added that their community developer was working hard to get all the damages sorted out very quickly. “They have got special permits to allow workers into the community as soon as possible to ensure that trees are removed, and damages are repaired,” she said.

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