Today's Edition
Jessi Amason (Abu Dhabi)
As the UAE starts to return to normal after experiencing record-breaking severe rainfall, many government offices and schools are extending remote operations through the end of the work week.
The UAE Government announced the continuation of remote work for federal employees through the rest of the week, and the Emirates School Establishment on Wednesday announced the same for all public schools.
The Abu Dhabi Government announced that students would continue to use the remote learning system on Thursday and Friday. The Government of Dubai also announced that the emirate’s private schools would operate through distance learning April 18-19.
Dubai Government employees will also work remotely. Sharjah Government also announced the extension of remote work for government employees for Thursday, April 18. The emirate’s private education authority has also decided to implement distance learning on Thursday.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office on Tuesday posted a message of appreciation for the efforts of emergency response teams, who helped a number of stranded vehicles, directed traffic through flooded roadways, and restored power to buildings.
The message thanked the Abu Dhabi Police, the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Tadweer, and the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport for their tireless efforts. The UAE on Tuesday experienced the highest amount of rain recorded in 75 years, with the Khatm Al Shiklah area of Abu Dhabi’s Al Ain region witnessing 254.8mm of rain in under 24 hours, according to the UAE Government Media Office.
In a post on Wednesday, the UAE Government Media Office termed the storms an “exceptional event recorded in [the country’s] climatic history”.
The National Center of Meteorology said that the volume of rain on Tuesday was the highest since official records began in 1949. The clouds gradually receded on Wednesday afternoon, with the NCM weather bulletin predicting fair to partly cloudy weather for the rest of the week.
