© AFP/Mohamed el-ShahedVehicles drive along a flooded portion of the ring-road highway that encircles the Egyptian capital Cairo and it's twin city of Giza, in Giza on 12 March 2020, amdist a heavy rain storm.
The Egyptian government has declared a state of emergency as the North African country braces for heavy thunderstorms and rain from Thursday to Saturday,
Egypt Today reported.
Egypt's meteorological authority warned citizens of a wave of unstable weather that was set to hit the country on Thursday, 12 March 2020.
Citizens urged to heed warnings
Citizens have been advised to wear heavy clothes and refrain from participating in maritime activities, and from speeding on the roads. The call was made by Mahmoud Shaheen, the director of the country's weather forecasting department.
During a press conference on Wednesday, housing, utilities and urban communities minister Essam el-Gazzar said that demand on drinking water would be reduced in some areas and may be cut off if necessary,
Egypt Today reported.
According to
dailynewsegypt.com, Egypt's cabinet also issued a directive to temporarily close schools and universities across the country on Thursday due to the inclement weather.
Areas at riskEgypt Today reported that the country will experience thunder and heavy rains along the northern coasts and lower Egypt, extending to the Suez Canal and the Suez Gulf.
According to the meteorological authority, the country can expect rainfall of between 60 and 70 millimetres.
A sandstorm is also forecast to hit the southern parts of the country, while a decline in temperatures is expected on Friday in the region of the Red Sea governorate, and South Sinai, according to the weather authority.
Comment: Update 13 March 2020Asharq Al-awsat English
reports:
Thunderstorms packing heavy rains and lightning caused widespread flooding across Egypt on Thursday, killing at least five people, officials said as authorities declared a holiday by shuttering schools, government offices and an airport.
Authorities shut down Luxor International Airport, a key hub for tourists, and three seaports — the Mediterranean port of Alexandria and the Red Sea ports of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.
Nile River cruises between the southern cities of Luxor and Aswan, which harbor most of ancient Egypt's monuments, were suspended and several key highways were closed.
The prime minister's office on Wednesday advised Egyptians to stay home.
Meanwhile authorities in neighbouring
Israel have issued warnings over winds set to surpass 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph), dense dust clouds, and enough rain to cut off outlying cities and threaten large cities with severe flooding.
Inquirer.net reports:
Thunderstorms and flooding around Egypt entered a second day Friday, interrupting daily life in much of the country, including the capital Cairo, as the death toll rose to 21, authorities said.
Most of the victims were in rural areas and slums. At least six children died either from electrocution or when their houses collapsed on them.
Since the rains hit late Wednesday and early Thursday, social media has been inundated with images and video showing flooded roads and villages as well as water-filled apartments in some of Cairo's richest neighborhoods.
Chaos always accompanies bad weather in Egypt, raising questions about the country's poor infrastructure and dilapidated sewage and drainage systems.
To minimize the impact of bad weather, the government closed down schools and suspended work in businesses and government offices after forecasters warned of heavy rains and flooding across much of the country through Saturday.
Late on Thursday, Cairo's Water Authority announced it had suspended water service to the entire megacity because heavy rain had overwhelmed the vast sewage system. By Friday morning water had returned to some parts of the city.
The floods forced the country's railway authorities to suspend train service nationwide. Power outages were also reported in several parts of the country, including parts of Cairo.
This was the country's
worst storm since 1994.
Comment: Update 13 March 2020
Asharq Al-awsat English reports: Meanwhile authorities in neighbouring Israel have issued warnings over winds set to surpass 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph), dense dust clouds, and enough rain to cut off outlying cities and threaten large cities with severe flooding.
Inquirer.net reports: This was the country's worst storm since 1994.