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2009 Jeddah floods

Coordinates: 21°30′N 39°11′E / 21.500°N 39.183°E / 21.500; 39.183
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2009 Saudi Arabia floods
The location of Jeddah within Saudi Arabia and the Arabian peninsula.
Date25 November 2009
LocationJeddah and other areas of Makkah Province
Deaths83 (more than 350 missing)
Property damageSAR 1 billion (business losses alone) US$270 million (business losses alone)

The 2009 Saudi Arabia floods affect Jeddah on the Red Sea (western) coast of Saudi Arabia and other areas of Makkah Province.[1][2] They have been described by civil defense officials as the worst in 27 years.[3] As of Friday 27 November 2009, some 83 people are reported to have been killed,[4] and more than 350 have been reported missing.[1] Some roads were still under a metre (three feet) of water on Thursday 26 November, and many of the victims are believed to have drowned in their vehicles:[1][4] the death toll is expected to rise as flood waters recede, allowing rescuers to reach stranded vehicles.[5]

More than 90 millimeters (3½ inches) of rain fell in Jeddah in just four hours on Wednesday 25 November,[1][6] nearly twice the average for an entire year[7] and the heaviest rainfall in Saudi Arabia for a decade.[8] The flooding came just two days before the expected date of the Eid al-Adha festival[3] and during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to nearby Mecca.[9] Business losses were estimated at a billion riyals (US$270 million),[note 1] and at least 3000 vehicles were swept away or damaged.[6] The poorer neighbourhoods in the south of Jeddah were particularly hard hit,[10][11] as was the area around King Abdulaziz University: the university was closed for vacations at the time of the floods, preventing even higher casualties.[12]

An engraving of Jeddah from 1924, showing the Jabal al-Hejaz mountains behind the city.

Geography and hydrology of Jeddah

The city of Jeddah, with King Abdulaziz International Airport to the north. The main highways to Mecca leave to the southeast. Map scale: approx. 25 km (15½ mi) from north to south.

The city of Jeddah is situated on the Red Sea coast, beneath the northern escarpment of the Red Sea rift valley known as the Jabal al-Hejaz, which reaches 600–1000 metres (1800–3000 feet) in the region. The population of the city is about 3.4 million (2009 estimate) in an urban area of 1765 km2 (681 sq. mi.), giving a population density of 1900 hab./km2 (5000 hab./sq. mi.). The climate is generally arid, with most rainfall occurring between November and January, usually as thunderstorms.[13]

Average monthly rainfall (1951–1983) in Jeddah in millimetres (inches)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
11.2
(0.4) 		4.5
(0.2) 		4.2
(0.2) 		1.0
(0.0) 		0.9
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.1
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.1
(0.0) 		0.6
(0.0) 		18.2
(0.7) 		16.2
(0.6)
Total: 56.1 mm (2.2 in.). Source: Global Historical Climatology Network, version 1

At least eleven thousand wadis converge on the city,[10] and localised flooding is common when it rains. The municipality is currently investing 1 billion riyals (US$270 million) in storm drains, but the cost of a full system is estimated at an additional 3 billion riyals (US$800 million).[14] In November 2009, only some 30% of the city was protected against flash-flooding and, even then, often with only one-inch (25-millimetre) pipes.[14]

2009 Hajj pilgrimage

Wednesday 25 November was the first day of the annual four-day Hajj pilgimage to Islamic holy sites in and around Mecca, for which Jeddah is the main entry point for foreign pilgrims arriving by air or by sea. The number of foreign pilgrims was slightly lower than in previous years, possibly because of health fears with the pandemic of H1N1 influenza, but was still believed to be more than 1.6 million, with 200,000 coming from Indonesia alone.[8] Many Saudi Arabians are also have believed to have desisted from the 2009 Hajj because of health fears.[15]

According to the Saudi Interior Ministry, none of the flood victims were taking part in the pilgrimage.[1][2] However the main Haramain expressway between King Abdulaziz International Airport and Mecca was closed on 25 November, stranding thousands of pilgrims: parts of the 80 kilometre (50 mile) highway were reported to have caved in, and the Jamia bridge in eastern Jeddah partially collapsed.[3] The highway remained closed on 26 November amid fears that the Jamia bridge would collapse completely.[4]

Rain was unusually heavy in Mecca on 25 November,[9] as well as in nearby Mina where many pilgrims stay in vast tent cities. The weather had improved by the following day, and pilgrims had to face “scorching heat” on the plain of Mount Arafat for the second day of the Hajj.[8][16] Hassan Al-Bushra, an epidemiologist at the Cairo office of the World Health Organization, said “there is no evidence” that the rain would worsen the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, a view shared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[16]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ The Saudi riyal (SAR) is effectively pegged at SAR3.75 to the U.S. dollar.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Saudi floods kill 77, leave scores missing, Agence France Presse, 26 November 2009, retrieved 2009-11-26.
  2. ^ a b Saudi Arabia floods leave 48 dead, BBC News, 26 November 2009, retrieved 2009-11-26.
  3. ^ a b c "Flooding kills 77 in Jeddah, Thousands of pilgrims stranded on highway", Saudi Gazette, 26 November 2009, retrieved 2009-11-26 {{citation}}: |first= missing |last= (help).
  4. ^ a b c Alawi, Ibrahim; Al-Harthi, Eid (27 November 2009), "King orders aid for victims, Death toll in Jeddah flooding hits 83", Saudi Gazette, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  5. ^ Humaidan, Muhammad (27 November 2009), "Jeddah flood death toll reaches 77", Arab News, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  6. ^ a b Al-Zahrani, Saleh (26 November 2009), "Damage may top SR1 billion", Saudi Gazette, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  7. ^ Jidda, Saudi Arabia: Average rainfall, WorldClimate.com, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  8. ^ a b c Black, Ian (26 November 2009), "Muslim pilgrims climb Mount Arafat as 2m brave heat outside Mecca", Guardian.
  9. ^ a b "Rain soaks hajj pilgrims in Mecca", Daily Telegraph, 25 November 2009.
  10. ^ a b Al-Bargi, Abdullah (26 November 2009), "Jeddah, city in a lake", Saudi Gazette, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  11. ^ Al-Dhibyani, Faleh (27 November 2009), "Anxious residents follow weather reports amid clean-up", Saudi Gazette, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  12. ^ Cousins, Michel (27 November 2009), "'What happened was a man-made problem'", Arab News, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  13. ^ Geographical Location and Climate, Jeddah Municipality, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  14. ^ a b Ghazzawi, Abdulaziz (27 November 2009), "SR3 billion needed for proper drainage: Official", Saudi Gazette, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  15. ^ Heavy rain and swine flu fears hamper Hajj, BBC News, 25 November 2009, retrieved 2009-11-27.
  16. ^ a b "Bright weather greets pilgrims on Arafat", Saudi Gazette, 27 November 2009, retrieved 2009-11-27.

21°30′N 39°11′E / 21.500°N 39.183°E / 21.500; 39.183

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