Dubai is slowly returning to normal as planes gradually begin to hit the runways again, but cars have remained stranded in deep water as the city struggles to cope with the recent flood crisis.
This week’s devastating flash floods, which have already killed 20 people in Oman and one in the United Arab Emirates, plunged Dubai into a living nightmare, as shops and buildings were crushed to ruins and vehicles were forced to be abandoned when submerged in murky waters.
Emirates, Dubai’s main state airline, and its sister airline, flydubai, resumed check-ins after telling passengers to stay away on Wednesday, when thousands of delayed passengers clogged the airport.
Authorities at Dubai International Airport, which handles more international passengers than any other, said on Thursday that they had begun receiving incoming flights at Terminal 1, used by foreign airlines, but that outbound flights remained delayed.
They later announced that check-in was open at Terminal 3 for Emirates and flydubai flights.
Passengers wait for their flights at Dubai International Airport as several flights have resumed.
Passengers check their flight information on screens at Dubai International Airport this morning
Images from Tuesday inside the airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, showed passengers sleeping on the floor while waiting for flights out of the country.
Although the city is returning to some level of normalcy in the skies, cars remain submerged in deep water on once-busy roads.
The vehicles were abandoned after the flash floods and remain drowned in the water.
The airport hopes to return to “something close to normal” within 24 hours, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths told AFP.
Some 1,244 flights were canceled and 41 diverted on Tuesday and Wednesday after torrential rains flooded the Middle East’s financial hub, including homes, shopping malls, offices and roads.
For the past three days, the airport has witnessed chaotic scenes with crowds of stranded travelers clamoring for information about their flights.
At the beginning of the floods, images taken by stranded travelers showed people camping on the floor of airport waiting rooms as they desperately sought shelter from the harsh, strange weather.
Hundreds of passengers complained that they were not allowed to leave the building because of the dangers of flooding as floodwaters passed through the airport carrying cars and other debris washed through the streets.
Even as Emirates and flydubai resumed check-ins, more than 200 departures were listed as delayed or canceled on the airport’s website.
Airport authorities say staff are struggling to bring food to stranded passengers as all roads leading to the airport are blocked by flooding.
“Getting supplies, people and all the things needed to the airport to help get back on schedule was a huge challenge because all the roads were blocked,” Griffiths said.
Roads have been blocked by extreme water levels, meaning the airport is unable to receive deliveries of food and other necessities for passengers stranded at the airport.
The devastating rains caused even trucks and buses to become submerged as the city slowly begins to clean up.
Recent images show locals rowing as a means of navigating through the underwater city.
Heavy flooding has also affected businesses and buildings.
‘We just hope that the level of customer service we have been able to provide goes some way to mitigating the impacts we had on customers.
“But we are obviously deeply distressed by all the disruption and concern we have created,” he added.
As flights to and from the city return to some level of normality, schools and public sector offices will remain closed until next week.
Traffic congestion remained severe on Thursday, two days after the storms, with at least one main road completely blocked by water and multiple intersections cut off by flooding.
Recent images of yesterday’s devastation show vehicles still drowning in the deluge.
Some vehicles were completely submerged and the tops of their roofs barely peeked above the surface of the water.
People have been seen rowing around the city in small inflatable boats as they try to navigate the immense water levels.
Main roads have been photographed sinking into the murky depths as more patient patients try to slowly make their way through the area.
Shops and businesses are slowly opening two days after the flood as a massive clean-up operation continues.
Climate experts say the rains, the heaviest in the United Arab Emirates since records began 75 years ago, are consistent with changes caused by global warming.
A man walks through flooded roads after heavy rain in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 18, 2024.
Countless vehicles have been abandoned by their owners as they fled for safety amid the terrible floods.
By the end of Tuesday, more than 5.59 inches of rain had drenched Dubai in 24 hours.
The storms intensified around 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday and continued throughout the day, dumping more rain and hail on the overwhelmed city.
By the end of Tuesday, more than 5.59 inches of rain had drenched Dubai for 24 hours.
An average year sees 3.73 inches of rain at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel and a hub for long-haul airline Emirates.
An elderly Emirati man in his 70s died yesterday morning when his vehicle was caught in a flash flood in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the north of the country.
Emergency services worked Thursday to clear flooded roads and assess people trapped in traffic, offices and homes.
Although the United Arab Emirates reportedly had moments of sunshine on Thursday, authorities warned that more thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds were forecast in the region.
In Oman, more than 1,400 people have been evacuated to shelters, while schools and government offices have been closed.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered a review of the country’s infrastructure affected by the severe weather.
He called on authorities to assess the damage and provide support to affected families, including their transfer to safe places.
In a conciliatory message on cohesion and love for all”. corner of the country of all its citizens and residents.’