Safety, security of all top priority: UAE President
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has reaffirmed that the safety and security of citizens and residents is the top priority of the UAE government. His Highness also expressed his appreciation for the level of awareness and responsibility demonstrated by people during the adverse weather conditions witnessed recently across the country.
His Highness has directed the concerned authorities to quickly work on studying the condition of infrastructure throughout the UAE and to limit the damage caused ater the country witnessed its heaviest rainfall on record.
The UAE President also directed that the necessary support be provided to all families impacted by the severe weather, ordering the transfer of affected families to safe locations in cooperation with local authorities.
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed expressed his appreciation to members of the national and local emergency and crisis teams and various authorities in managing rescue and evacuation operations during the unprecedented conditions, which had a positive impact on preserving lives and property. His Highness also highlighted the deep appreciation to the spirit of solidarity portrayed by the UAE community during the weather conditions, noting it to be a true essence of the UAE identity.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, thanked God for the safety of everyone in the UAE as a result of the exceptional weather conditions.
Sheikh Mohammed said, “We thank God for
His blessing and grace for the safety of everyone in the Emirates as a result of the exceptional weather condition that we experienced... Our country is in good health and safety with the follow-up, care and leadership of my brother, the President of the State, may God protect him... and with the efforts of the dedicated teams of citizens and residents that continue day and night...
“Crises reveal the strength of countries and societies... and the natural climate crisis that we experienced showed great care, awareness, cohesion and love for every corner of the country from all its citizens and residents... May God protect the UAE and its society and perpetuate its glory, pride and safety.”
The Dubai Government announced that it has extended remote work for employees across all its entities on Thursday, 18th April 2024, and Friday, 19th April 2024. This applies to all government employees in Dubai, except for roles that need on-site presence at the workplace.
The decision to extend the remote working period was made to facilitate the work of field teams in response to the severe weather conditions in the past two days. All relevant authorities in Dubai have intensified their efforts to mitigate the situation resulting from the heavy rainfall.
Additionally, private schools in Dubai will continue with distance learning for the next two days, Thursday and Friday, to ensure everyone’s safety and allow schools time to prepare for the return of students for in-person classes early next week.
The Ajman Department of Human Resources also announced the extension of remote work for Ajman government employees on Thursday and Friday, 18th and 19th April, due to the adverse weather conditions that the country have witnessed.
Jobs requiring presence at the workplace, as determined by the relevant authority within each government department, are excluded, according to the announcement.
The UAE witnessed the heaviest rain in its modern history during the past 24 hours, in many regions, and it is the largest amount since the beginning of recording climate data in 1949, according to a statement issued by the National Centre of Meteorology.
The centre confirmed that the record amounts of rain that fell across the country during the past 24 hours, until nine o’clock in the evening, on Tuesday, is an exceptional event in the climatic history of the country.
The Centre stated that so far, the highest amount of rain was recorded in the “Khatm al-shukla” area in Al Ain, reaching 254.8 mm in less than 24 hours.
The Centre’s stations in the country also recorded heavy amounts of rain in several areas. It is noteworthy that the Shuwaib station had recorded 287.6 mm in 2016.
Mohamed directs authorities to limit damage from adverse weather, shift affected families to safe locations; VP thanks Almighty that all are safe.