Roads, cars submerged in water: UAE residents grapple with morning disruptions amid thunderstorms

Many residents woke up to the roar of thunder and heavy rains on Friday morning, after cloudy skies and forecasts of rainfall on Thursday evening.
Early morning rain in the UAE has caused a bit of trouble for residents, disrupting their morning routine and making it a bit challenging for them. Water has logged on several roads, making it difficult for people to get around with their cars, causing inconvenience for those who usually drive to work.
Many companies in the UAE allowed employees to work from home coming as a practical solution to avoid the hassles caused by clogged roads.
Bilal Saeed, a marketing executive working in Ajman and residing in Dubai was relieved when he received the call from his boss early morning. “My boss told me to come to the office after Friday prayers. As we had many meetings and tasks lined up, he left home early and noticed E311 had been submerged in water. I will be working from home now and later attend meetings in the office,” said Saeed.
Abu Firas, a Sharjah resident and a realtor woke up early and was preparing to meet a client. “But when I was suited up and all ready to meet my client for breakfast and then property viewing, I found the tires of my car nearly submerged in water. The road adjacent to my building was submerged too. The ETA on Google Maps showed a travel time of over 2 hours, which made me worry,” said Firas.
“I decided to call him up to reschedule our meeting. He too was finding it difficult to leave home due to rain. It was a relief,” said Firas.
It is forecasted that rains and thunderstorms are expected to continue in some parts of the UAE. On Thursday, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) called on private companies to apply flexible work setups on November 17.
Waji Najeeb, a cafeteria owner in Al Nahda Sharjah could not open his workplace due to water clogged outside his cafeteria. “I normally open by 5am and start preparing breakfast. However, it was a bit difficult today. We waited for the water level to reduce and by the time it was 7 am, people could walk on the footpath. We opened it but the breakfast orders were very few compared to other days,” said Wajid.
Many schools in Dubai went online due to heavy rains and thunderstorms. School heads sent out emails to parents early in the day, informing them about the switch to distance learning.