UAE Storms

The state-run WAM news agency called the rain on Tuesday “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949.” The National Center of Meteorology announced that the UAE had witnessed the largest amount of rainfall in 75 years, with some areas seeing over 250mm (around 10 inches) of precipitation in less than 24 hours.

To get a sense of the amount of precipitation that fell in 24 hours, on average, Dubai receives around 100 mm (around 4 inches) of precipitation per year.

Although the storm affected Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman, the UAE was significantly affected when the government issued warnings ahead of the heavy rains, urging people to stay at home and only leave “in cases of extreme necessity”.

The storm led to considerable problems at Dubai’s International Airport (DXB) where almost 900 diversions and cancellations have taken place so far, cars were swept off roads, road infrastructure was damaged, the metro was at a standstill, leaks were witnessed in shopping malls and a significant number of commercial and residential properties flooded.

Although the United Arab Emirates government has announced that the worst storm to ever hit the country is officially over, government workers are working remotely, distance learning is in place for schools and the private sector has been encouraged to allow flexible work patterns until the end of the week whilst the cleanup operations get underway and the country returns to normal.

Map of the affected area

Dubai International Airport 🇦🇪 has recorded nearly 160 mm (6.3 inches) of rain in the last 24 hours. For context, most of the Dubaï metro typically averages 3.5 inches per year.

This is truly a historic event for the area. pic.twitter.com/wm9rTNCokS

— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) April 16, 2024

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BUSINESS INTERRUPTION COVERAGE ISSUES

• Government assistance considerations
• Prevention of access – inability to access businesses due to the closure of roads
• Property damage to local businesses
• Public utilities – damage to providers of electricity, gas, sewage, and telecommunications
• Closure of premises by public authority – closure or evacuation of Insured premises
• Losses resulting from supply chain issues.

Early involvement of the appropriate experts can help with the need for any mitigation efforts.

MDD has considerable expertise in dealing with these types of claims and the complexities that may occur.  Experts like those of us at MDD will stress the need for proper audit protocols, controlling and sorting of costs and accounting for any potential saved expenses.