Floods in Jeddah in 2009

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Floods in Jeddah in 2009
Underpass of King Abdullah Street in Jeddah
Underpass of King Abdullah Street in Jeddah
Location of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia
Location of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia
Flood type Flash flood after heavy rain
Data
Beginning November 25, 2009
consequences
affected areas Jeddah and other areas of Mecca Province in Saudi Arabia
Victim 122 fatalities (37 missing)
Jeddah with the airport in the north. The roads to Mecca run south-east. Scale of the map: approx. 25 km from north to south.
An engraving of Jeddah from 1924 with the Hejaz Mountains in the background

In November 2009 there was severe flooding in Jeddah and other areas of Mecca province on the west coast of Saudi Arabia . They have been described by civil defense officials as the worst in 27 years. As of Sunday November 29, 2009, 106 deaths were reported and more than 350 people were missing. The number of victims was announced on January 3, 2010, with 122 fatalities and another 37 missing. Some streets were three feet under water on Thursday, November 26th, and many of the victims are believed to have drowned in their cars. At least 3,000 vehicles were washed away or damaged.

On Wednesday, November 25th, more than 90 millimeters of rain fell in Jeddah in just 4 hours. This is almost double the average annual rainfall and the heaviest rainfall in Saudi Arabia in a decade. The flood happened just two days before the Islamic Festival of Sacrifice and during the annual Hajj to neighboring Mecca . The economic damage is estimated at one billion rials (around 180 million euros). The poorer residential areas in the south of Jeddah were particularly hard hit, as was the area around King Abdulaziz University . Since the university was closed for holidays at the time of the flood, there weren't any more casualties here.

Geographical and hydrological situation

Jeddah is located on the coast of the Red Sea below the northern steep slopes of the Great Rift Valley , the mountains of Hejaz , which in this area reach heights of 600 to 1000 meters. In 2009 (estimate) around 3.4 million people lived in the city on a settlement area of ​​1765 km², resulting in a population density of 1900 inhabitants / km². The climate is arid . Most of the precipitation falls in the months of November to January, mostly in the form of thunderstorms.

Average monthly rainfall in Jeddah in millimeters (1951–1983)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
11.2 4.5 4.2 1.0 0.9 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.6 18.2 16.2
Total : 56.1 mm.

On November 24, 2009, however, the amount of rain within 4 hours was over 90 millimeters.

At least eleven wadis converge in the urban area, and local flooding is common after rainfall. The city council is currently investing 1 billion riyals (about 180 million euros) in street drainage , but the cost of a comprehensive system is estimated at another 3 billion rials (about 540 million euros). In November 2009 only about 30% of the urban area was protected against flash floods , and even these often only with drainage pipes of 25 millimeters in diameter.

The Hajj 2009

Wednesday November 25th was the first day of the annual Hajj, a four-day pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam in and around Mecca. Most pilgrims from abroad travel to Saudi Arabia by air or sea via Jeddah. This year, the number of foreign pilgrims, as well as local pilgrims, was lower than in previous years, possibly due to health concerns about the influenza pandemic . Nevertheless, the number of participants in the Hajj is estimated at over 1.6 million, including 200,000 from Indonesia alone .

According to the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry, no pilgrims were among the victims of the flood. However, the main road from Jeddah Airport to Mecca was closed on November 25, leaving thousands of pilgrims stuck. Parts of the 80-kilometer-long road were washed away and the Jamia Bridge to the east of Jeddah partially collapsed. The road remained closed until November 26, and it was feared that the bridge could collapse completely.

In Mecca, too, there was unusually heavy rainfall on November 25th, as was the case in neighboring Mina , where many pilgrims are housed in large tent cities. By November 26th, the weather had improved and pilgrims were exposed to "scorching heat" on the ʿArafāt on the second day of Hajj .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Muhammad Humaidan: 2,800 flood-hit families get aid . In: Arab News , January 3, 2010. Retrieved May 24, 2012. 
  2. ↑ a b c d e Saudi Arabian floods kill 77, leave scores missing , Agence France Presse. November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009. 
  3. ↑ a b Saudi Arabia floods leave 48 dead , BBC News. November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009. 
  4. ↑ a b c Ayman Anqawi: Flooding kills 77 in Jeddah, Thousands of pilgrims stranded on highway . In: Saudi Gazette , November 26, 2009. Archived from the original on November 30, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009. 
  5. ↑ Muhammad Humaidan: Jeddah flood great 106 . In: Arab News , November 29, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2012. 
  6. ^ A b Saleh Al-Zahrani: Damage may top SR1 billion . In: Saudi Gazette , November 26, 2009. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2009. 
  7. ↑ a b King orders aid for victims, Death toll in Jeddah flooding hits 83 . In: Saudi Gazette , November 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved on November 27, 2009. 
  8. ↑ Jidda, Saudi Arabia: Average rainfall . WorldClimate.com. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  9. ↑ a b c Ian Black: Muslim pilgrims climb Mount Arafat as 2 m brave heat outside Mecca . In: Guardian , November 26, 2009. 
  10. ↑ a b Rain soaks hajj pilgrims in Mecca . In: Daily Telegraph , November 25, 2009. 
  11. ↑ a b Abdullah Al-Bargi: Jeddah, city in a lake . In: Saudi Gazette , November 26, 2009. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved on November 27, 2009. 
  12. ↑ Faleh Al-Dhibyani: Anxious residents follow weather reports amid clean-up . In: Saudi Gazette , November 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved on November 27, 2009. 
  13. ↑ Michel Cousins: "What happened was a man-made problem" . In: Arab News , November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009. 
  14. ↑ Distribution of the population in the provinces of the kingdom (mean annual estimates based on the General Population and Housing Census 2010) ( Memento from February 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Arabic, PDF file (5.41 MB), page 10 (Administrative region: Makkah) Line 2 (جدة)
  15. ^ Geographical Location and Climate . Jeddah Municipality. Archived from the original on September 15, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  16. ^ Global Historical Climatology Network
  17. ↑ a b Abdulaziz Ghazzawi: SR3 billion needed for proper drainage: Official . In: Saudi Gazette , November 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved on November 27, 2009. 
  18. ↑ Heavy rain and swine flu fears hamper Hajj , BBC News. November 25, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009. 
  19. ↑ Bright weather greets pilgrims on Arafat . In: Saudi Gazette , November 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved on November 27, 2009.