Rains Cause Traffic Chaos in Riyadh
Raid Qusti & Mohammed Rasooldeen, Arab NewsRIYADH, 21 November 2006 — Heavy rainfall caused hundreds of accidents but no reported fatalities in Riyadh yesterday, according to an official from the Traffic Department, who said the department received 386 accident reports in the morning alone.
“That number is of what has been reported from 5 a.m. to noon,†said Maj. Ibrahim Al-Almaai.
The first winter rain in Saudi Arabia always turns the streets into glass as fine dust and oil float up from the road surfaces. Rain in the KSA is scarce, averaging only 100mm, about 4 inches, per year. As a consequence, not much attention is paid toward dealing with problem rains—how many snowplows, for instance, does Orlando, Florida have? But when the rains do come, they lead to flooding in the streets as well as a fine slip of clay on the road surfaces. Another reason to avoid driving in Saudi Arabia!
[UPDATE 11/22/06: Well, there's snowfall in Orlando. Still not enough for snow plows, though...]
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