Saudi Public Prosecution confirmed it will proceed in investigating the reasons behind the flooding of Jeddah streets.
The prosecution issued a statement saying that Saudi Attorney General Saud bin Abdallah al-Mojeb issued directives to the head of the Public Prosecution Branch in the Mecca region and the head of the Department of Jeddah province and all branches and departments in all parts of the Kingdom that the Public Prosecution should be fully ready to proceed with all matters related to any cases associated with the recent flash flooding in Jeddah.
He underlined that all officials should carry out their duty “to the fullest extent with no nepotism, and that they have the power to arrest, investigate and prosecute.”
Mojeb pointed out that the work of the Public Prosecution comes within the framework of its judicial characterization according to its system as it “represents an important pillar of the justice system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, adding that it is supported and continuously followed-up by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and the Crown Prince.
The attorney general pointed out that branches of Saudi’s public prosecution should work closely with him to report the results of its work in this regard.
Heavy rain arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday, flooding streets and closing schools and universities in the Saudi city, while navigation was stopped and several air flights delayed.
Jeddah Health Affairs issued a statement saying that it received 29 emergency calls in light of the flooding, eight related to electrocution, one reporting a death case, while the remainder were related to traffic accidents.
Civil defense also issued further flood warnings as rain is expected to continue on Wednesday.
Jeddah Islamic Port also closed as of 8:10 in the morning because of the weather and heavy winds.
The weather monitoring center of King Abdul Aziz International Airport was hit by lightning damaging some equipment, but the center continued its work of sending and receiving weather reports.
Few flights were shortly delayed because of the weather conditions and Saudi Arabian Airlines announced that it will not impose any penalty or additional charges for passengers who missed flights.
Governor of Mecca province and advisor to Saudi King Salman Prince Khalid Al Faisal checked the roads and urban areas.
Saudi National Centre for Security Operations at the Interior Ministry received 10,902 calls by "911" operations in Mecca mostly to inquire about the condition of roads and streets that could be used for traffic or report accidents.
Control and Guidance Centers of the Civil Defense received 1989 reports from several Saudi cities with a total of 481 rescued, ten families evacuated, and 41 vehicles towed away.
Center for Crisis and Disaster Management in the Mecca warned locals against heading to valleys and flood-prone areas due to the heavy rains. It reported that a number of main roads and tunnels in Jeddah were temporarily closed for safety reasons. The tunnels that were temporarily closed included one on Palestine Road and Prince Majed Street, Hira Street and Prince Majed Street, and others.
Education officials in issued a statement suspending schools in the area, as well as King Abdulaziz University and all its branches.
The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection said that rain levels on Tuesday morning recorded between 25mm and 35mm. It warned that these weather conditions will continue till Wednesday morning.
