SDRPY Accelerates Work on Yemen's Heijat Al-Abed Road Rehabilitation Project

The road lacks essential traffic safety elements (Photo by SPA)
The road lacks essential traffic safety elements (Photo by SPA)
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SDRPY Accelerates Work on Yemen's Heijat Al-Abed Road Rehabilitation Project

The road lacks essential traffic safety elements (Photo by SPA)
The road lacks essential traffic safety elements (Photo by SPA)

The rehabilitation project for Heijat Al-Abed Road, a vital route connecting Taiz with other governorates, is progressing rapidly under the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY). This road is crucial for the lives of 5 million Yemenis, and the project aims to improve its efficiency, implement safety measures, reduce accidents, and alleviate the daily challenges faced by commuters, SPA reported.
Rehabilitating this essential road will ensure safe traffic flow and facilitate the movement of people and goods, including essential supplies like food and medicine, while reducing costs and travel time. Additionally, the project will create immediate employment opportunities and benefit various sectors, including the economy, services, education, and more.
With a significant elevation difference of 1,000 meters from the highest to the lowest point, the road lacks essential traffic safety elements, such as concrete barriers for vehicle protection, and is prone to rockfalls.
Rehabilitating the rain drainage system and constructing new drainage channels are also essential to prevent water penetration into the road pavement layers.

This project is part of 229 projects and initiatives implemented by SDRPY across various Yemeni governorates. These initiatives serve the Yemeni people in key sectors, including education, healthcare, water, energy, transportation, agriculture and fisheries, development and support of Yemeni government capacities, and developmental programs.



Snowy Owl Rescued from Car Grille by Minnesota Woman

A snowy owl rests at Annabell Whelan's home after being recovered from the grille of a car in northeastern Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, and before she was taken to a wildlife rescue. (AP via Annabell Whelan)
A snowy owl rests at Annabell Whelan's home after being recovered from the grille of a car in northeastern Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, and before she was taken to a wildlife rescue. (AP via Annabell Whelan)
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Snowy Owl Rescued from Car Grille by Minnesota Woman

A snowy owl rests at Annabell Whelan's home after being recovered from the grille of a car in northeastern Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, and before she was taken to a wildlife rescue. (AP via Annabell Whelan)
A snowy owl rests at Annabell Whelan's home after being recovered from the grille of a car in northeastern Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, and before she was taken to a wildlife rescue. (AP via Annabell Whelan)

Annabell Whelan woke up Tuesday and frantically checked on her holiday overnight guest — Nowl the snowy owl, who she rescued from the grille of a car the day before.

Whelan was out with her boyfriend's family Monday in Duluth, Minnesota, when she saw the owl “just hanging out there, literally" after car and bird had collided, she told The Associated Press. The car's owner had already called for help, but the animal rescue organization that the bird needed was closed — so Whelan stepped in, not for the first time that day.

Earlier Monday, Whelan found an injured great gray owl on the ground further north in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Experts at Wildwoods, a Duluth-based wildlife rehabilitation center, told her how to safely catch the bird.

“I definitely thought that I had had my fix of owls with the first one," said Whelan, 22, a Lake Superior Zoo guest experience manager who graduated earlier this year with a biology and environmental science degree, The AP reported.

“I could tell he was having a hard time with one of his eyes," she said. “I kind of took my time and just sat there with him and talked quietly and was just kind of trying to coax him to trust me a little bit.”

Whelan scooped the owl up in a blanket, transferred him to a dog crate in the car and dropped the great gray owl off at Wildwoods. He was sent along with another animal to the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center in St. Paul.

But the snowy owl she found hours later was in a much scarier situation, she said.

“It was obviously a lot more trauma," she said.

Since Wildwoods had already closed for the night, Whelan wrapped Nowl in a blanket and crated her overnight in a dark, quiet room in her home — keeping her and her cousin's curious cats and dog at bay. She named her Nowl, a play on noel.

“I tried to prepare myself in case I woke up in the morning and she didn't make it through the night,” Whelan said. But she said she cried happy tears when she saw Nowl moving and awake, bringing her to Wildwoods that morning.

Nowl “is quite beaten up," Wildwoods posted on Facebook Tuesday after examining the bird. “We applied a wing wrap, gave her meds, and coordinated with The Raptor Center to get her down to them.”

The rescue said people should slow down, stay alert, and call for help when they see an injured animal. The animals are terrified of people and should be quickly moved to a quiet, safe space where they can be left alone until professionals can step in, the rescue said.