Dubai residents ‘stuck in offices for over 30 hours’ as rain deluge causes chaos

UAE weather live: Emirates hit by severe storms

Heavy rain, thunder and lightning has caused chaos across the Emirates, with Dubai appearing to bear the brunt of the carnage.

Drivers face huge delays on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai International Airport has urged passengers not to travel there unless absolutely necessary and an Emirati died in flash flooding in Ras Al Khaimah.

Dubai has seen particular devastation, with power cuts in some areas, residential properties facing floods and residents not able to return home.

And, although the Dubai Government advised for all private and public sector employees to work remotely on Tuesday and Wednesday, some offices remained open as normal, with staff facing difficulty commuting as a result.

I was trying to get an Uber all night but, in the end, spent the night in my office

Paul Lund

Ahmed Ali, an accountant for a food and beverage company, told The National he has been stuck in his Dubai Marina office since 6pm on Tuesday because of the storm, having already completed a full day at work.

“I’ve been stuck in my workplace for more than 30 hours due to road closures and the Metro,” he said.

“There are about five more people with families back at home and we are waiting for the Metro service to resume so we can go home.”

Mr Ali, who is from Pakistan, said he and his colleagues had to spend the night in their office.

They purchased food from Dubai Marina Mall, which he said was located next to their workplace.

“We couldn’t sleep most of the night because there were no pillows or blankets,” he said.

Children play with their bicycles along a waterlogged street in Dubai’s Al Furjan district after heavy rain on Tuesday. Pawan Singh / The National

Workers cut a tree uprooted by heavy rains on Tuesday in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Water is drained from a flooded road in Al Furjan on Tuesday. Pawan Singh / The National

A flooded street in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, after the rains. Victor Besa / The National

Heavy rain in Dubai made parts of Sheikh Zayed Road impassable. Antonie Robertson/The National

The storm left cars marooned on flooded streets. Antonie Robertson/ The National

Many areas became impassable due to the flooding. Antonie Robertson / The National

Many drivers abandoned their cars at the side of roads amid high floodwaters. Antonie Robertson/ The National

People attempt to navigate the floodwaters in Dubai. Antonie Robertson/The National

A flooded section of road near Sheikh Zayed motorway after heavy rain. Antonie Robertson / The National

People in Dubai walk from their cars after high floodwaters made the road impassable. Antonie Robertson / The National

A partially submerged car following the heavy rain. Antonie Robertson/The National

Recovery work gets under way after the rain in central Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Large puddles and areas of water in Al Bandar in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Work begins after the rain in central Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Recovery work gets under way in Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Some minor damage in Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

A man washes away debris after the rain in Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Work gets under way after heavy rain hit Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Passengers check flight information on screens at the Dubai International Airport. AFP

A worker cuts through a downed tree with a chainsaw after a major storm in Dubai. AP

A car drives through floodwaters in Dubai. AP

Paul Lund, a financial analyst from the UK, is also still stuck in his office at Dubai International Financial Centre.

He slept there last night because of the road closures and is waiting for the Dubai Metro to resume services, so he can head home to Dubai Marina.

“The big problem yesterday was not just the Metro going down, but all the taxis were closed due to flooding at Dubai Mall and so everyone was left to try and flag anything down,” he told The National.

“I was trying to get an Uber all night but, in the end, spent the night in my office.

“Sheikh Zayed Road was already slow with traffic trying to get around the lakes on the road, but it rained very heavily at about 7pm and the water rose and trapped a lot of cars and buses.

“I went back to my office as I have a great view of the Metro in case it started back up – however I saw hundreds of people walking up Sheikh Zayed northbound towards Deira.

“There were hundreds camped at Dubai Mall Metro station when I left at about 1am.”

Paul Lund and Steven Bischoff (right). Photo: Paul Lund and Steven Bischoff

Steven Bischoff flew in from New York City to attend the Global Blockchain Show that was taking place at the Grand Hyatt Dubai Convention Centre in Umm Hurair.

He said the conference ended at 6pm and that is when the attendees realised the severity of the storm.

And when Mr Bischoff did finally leave the venue, it took him several hours to reach his hotel in Business Bay.

“I estimate 80 to 100 people were all trapped at the venue with no way to leave,” he said.

“A group of people (people I have never met) and my team journeyed through the storm.

“My hotel is Lusso Hometels J One – this was a three-hour walk from the venue.

“The Metro was open but only one station. This caused hundreds of people to be stuck at different stations across Dubai.

“Vasyl (my colleague) and I helped many people along the way.”

He said one family they encountered did not have phone service and could not access maps.

“We helped them get to a train station safely but it’s unknown if the station they needed was open,” said Mr Bischoff.

“We waded through flooded streets and had to navigate broken pieces of cars, metal and debris hidden under the dark brown water.”