The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is struggling to recover from the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the desert nation.
The unprecedented downpour has caused widespread flooding, affecting major highways, roads, and even the world’s busiest international airport, Dubai International Airport.
As floodwater continues to cover portions of the country, Dubai International Airport is working to restore normal operations. The airport allowed global carriers to resume flights into Terminal 1 on Thursday morning, but delays and disruptions persist. Emirates, the long-haul carrier based in Dubai, had temporarily stopped travelers from checking into their flights as they tried to move out connecting passengers, but this order has since been lifted.
The UAE, known for its arid desert climate, typically sees little rainfall throughout the year. However, the massive storm that forecasters had been warning about for days dumped more than 142 millimeters (5.59 inches) of rain on Dubai in just 24 hours, surpassing the average annual rainfall of 94.7 millimeters (3.73 inches). The country’s drainage systems were quickly overwhelmed, leading to flooding in neighborhoods, business districts, and even portions of the 12-lane Sheikh Zayed Road highway.
In a message to the nation, Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan pledged to study the condition of infrastructure throughout the UAE and limit the damage caused by the historic weather event. Cleanup efforts are underway, with tanker trucks equipped with vacuums reaching areas outside of Dubai’s downtown core for the first time.
While authorities have not provided an overall assessment of the damage or injuries caused by the floods, at least one person has been reported dead. The flooding has also sparked speculation about the UAE’s aggressive cloud seeding campaign, but experts say the storm systems that produced the rain were forecast well in advance and that cloud seeding alone would not have caused such severe flooding.
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The Associated Press contributed to this article.