US tourists trapped in Dubai traumatized by floods swamping the desert playground
American tourists are stuck in Dubai after the desert country was hit by ‘historic’ floods that soaked the city and closed the airport.
The United Arab Emirates received its heaviest rain on record on Tuesday, with the ‘historic weather event’ causing widespread damage across the country.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport for international travel, was swamped by the deluge, leaving tourists stranded in the desert.
“Everyone is literally stuck here,” an American tourist from Los Angeles reported Tuesday from her hotel room in Dubai.
“If you try to come here, you won’t get her,” Wendy O. said in a TikTok video.
“Everyone is literally stuck here,” an American tourist from Los Angeles reported Tuesday from her hotel room in Dubai
“If you try to come here, you won’t get her,” Wendy O. said in a TikTok video
Another influencer, known for his TikTok posts, documented his experience with the crazy Dubai floods while in town for a Desci event
American tourists are stuck in Dubai after the desert country was hit by ‘historic’ floods that soaked the city and closed the airport
The United Arab Emirates experienced its heaviest rain on record on Tuesday and the ‘historic weather event’ wreaked havoc across the country.
“Literally everything you see on the internet is true: the flooding, the mall collapse, the people getting stuck in their cars, people getting electrocuted trying to get through all the flooding in the streets…
“That’s because they don’t have drainage here,” the TikToker explained.
“For the first time ever, I’m glad I’m paying crazy taxes in LA to have good drainage,” she said — adding that the flooding is a “hot mess” and that she can’t wait to get home to go.
Other videos on TikTok from Americans visiting Dubai showed their shocked reactions to the crazy weather conditions.
A TikToker from New Jersey made a video of himself in a taxi while the roads were flooded, captioning it “the most traumatic experience.”
Another visitor shared images from a Dubai shopping center as water dramatically poured over marble floors and panicked shoppers tried to flee.
An American businessman visiting Dubai said he was “trying to get started” when the flood hit. “The roads are like puddles right now,” he said – adding that the Bitcoin conference he attended in the city was canceled due to the extreme flooding.
A group of influencers visiting the desert city became trapped in a Rolls Royce during the flooding, while video captured the panicked tourists floating in the middle of the road in their luxury vehicle.
Another tourist told how she ‘risked her life’ in Dubai after being stuck at the airport for hours trying to get a taxi, while other travelers had been stuck there for more than eight hours
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport for international travel, was swamped by the deluge, leaving tourists stranded in the desert
Another tourist told how she ‘risked her life’ in Dubai after being stuck at the airport for hours trying to get a taxi, while other travelers had been stuck there for more than eight hours.
Aoife said in a TikTok documenting her group’s chaotic taxi ride to Dubai that they essentially “swam” through the water as their suitcases clung for dear life to the back of the four-by-four vehicle.
She said the city felt “apocalyptic” as they drove the wrong way and the experience was terrifying.
Earlier this week, rain also fell in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. However, the rains were acute in the UAE.
One possible contribution could have been ‘cloud seeding’, in which small government planes fly through the clouds and burn special salt torches. Those flares can increase precipitation.
Several reports quoted meteorologists from the National Center for Meteorology as saying they had made six or seven cloud-seeding flights before the rain.
Flight tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed that an aircraft involved in the UAE’s cloud seeding efforts flew through the country on Monday.
The National, an English-language state-linked newspaper in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday quoted an anonymous official at the center as saying no cloud seeding took place on Tuesday, without acknowledging previous flights.
The center did not respond to questions from the AP on Wednesday.