A major clean-up operation is under way on roads and in communities across the UAE after two days of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2024/02/12/uae-weather-safety-alert-as-dubai-and-abu-dhabi-lashed-by-rain-thunder-and-lightning/" target="_blank">heavy rain</a>. Some <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2024/02/13/road-diversion-in-place-on-sheikh-zayed-road-in-dubai-after-flooding/" target="_blank">routes</a> remained flooded on Tuesday morning causing lengthy delays for commuters, even as gloomy skies gave way to sunshine. In Dubai, a waterlogged section of the busy Sheikh Zayed Road remains sealed off, with traffic diversions still in place early on Tuesday afternoon. The Roads and Transport Authority urged drivers travelling on the Jebel Ali stretch to use alternative routes, in a message on X posted shortly after 6.20am. The authority said, in response to residents on social media, it was also working to remove water from flooded areas of Al Qudra Road. Dubai Municipality said it had sent a team to clear water from flood-hit areas. Abu Dhabi Police said traffic was diverted from the Sieh Shuaib bridge on the Dubai-bound route from Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Road to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Road. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport, conducted field tours on Monday to assess the disruption caused by the storms. Schools across the country continued with distance learning on Tuesday. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation called for private companies to apply “flexible working patterns” for employees for a second day on Tuesday. “Necessary measures need to be taken by companies to ensure outdoor work, if necessary to resume, complies with the occupational health and safety requirements,” the ministry said. “Companies also need to ensure the health and safety of workers commuting to and from outdoor work locations.” Large parts of the Emirates were lashed by heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning on Sunday evening and throughout Monday. Dubai Police said on Tuesday it had issued 1,000 certificates to motorists seeking to make insurance claims for damage incurred during the hazardous weather. The command centre at Dubai Police answered more than 25,000 emergency and non-emergency calls during the unstable conditions. The National Centre of Meteorology forecasts sunny days ahead in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, although the Northern Emirates have not seen the last of the wet weather. The weather centre said temperatures would reach highs of 27°C in Dubai and 26°C in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday, with more rain expected on both days in Fujairah. Temperatures will approach 30°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday, the NCM's online weather map predicts.
