Live updates, pics: Rain, sand hit Egypt - gov't hopes to manage crisis

CAIRO - 30 April 2018: Thunderous clouds and heavy rains are due to fall on the on the northern coast of Egypt, the Delta and Cairo, while the showers over the Red Sea mountain range, Sinai and some areas in the south may amount to floods on Monday.

Southwesterly winds in the east and the north of Upper Egypt are expected to carry dust that will reach Cairo. The temperature in Cairo is 38 degrees Celsius in the day and 23 at night.

The weather is expected to be quite similar on Tuesday; more rain is expected at the northern coast, the Delta and Cairo, along with thunder. The showers that may turn into floods will also continue at the Red Sea mountain range, Sinai and in the south. The sandy wind will also arrive in Cairo from Upper Egypt.

The temperature is expected to be 37 degrees Celsius in the day and 26 in the evening.

Different parts of Cairo saw heavy rains on April 24-25, causing severe damage and blocking some roads, especially in the New Cairo area.

Egypt's Administrative Control Authority (ACA) suspended a number of officials in the New Cairo city council on Saturday over the crisis in some areas of the city.
The accumulated water exceeded the capacity of some public sewers in the city, causing heavy damage in the drainage system, and concerned bodies failed to manage the crisis afterwards, ACA said in a statement.

The statement also cited the failure of the ministries of housing, electricity, transport and Cairo governorate’s administration to coordinate endevours to tackle the problem.

The Ain Sokhna-Zafarana Road was blocked by floods that carried rocks from nearby mountains, and was only reopened on Sunday.

The cabinet launched an “emergency room” on Sunday to follow the updates of the unstable weather, as well as an “operations room” in all governorates until Thursday. The situation will especially be closely monitored in the governorates of the Red Sea, North and South Sinai, Suez, and Upper Egypt’s Qena, Asyut, Sohag and Suez.

Below are the live updates:

17:23 – Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has met with the Cabinet’s central operations room for the second time on Monday to follow the updates of the bad weather and every governorate’s preparations to counter its impact.

Earlier on Monday, former head of the Egyptian Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center, Hosam el-Gamal, resigned over his management of the rain crisis in New Cairo April 24-25.


17:02 – Zafarana-Ras Ghareb Road has been closed to avoid accidents due to lack of visibility.

17:00 - Cairo witnessed hot weather in the day, as well as dense clouds, a slightly sandy atmosphere. The city has looked both gray and yellowish due to the dust.


Sand storm hits Cairo - Egypt today / Karim Abdel Aziz


Sand storm hits Cairo - Egypt today / Karim Abdel Aziz

16:24 – Marsa Alam-Edfu Road, West Mawhoub-Dakhla Road, and Geish-Ras Ghareb Road have been closed until visibility is improved. Desert roads to the east and west of Qena, Aswan and New Valley governorates have also been closed.

16:00 – Anticipated sandy winds have arrived in Ismailia governorate, where residents remained in their homes and only a few vehicles are seen driven in the streets.


Street Lights Column fall because of the dust storm in Ismalyia governorate – Egypt today/ Sabry Ghanem


Street Lights Column fall because of the dust storm in Ismalyia governorate – Egypt today/ Sabry Ghanem

15:32 – The prime minister contacted several governors via video conference and requested that their field inspections continue and to follow precautions to avoid any repercussions of the bad weather, especially in the areas that have been repeatedly affected in the past few years, such as the Red Sea governorate and the Sinai.

15:21 – Qena-Sohag Western Road has been reopened after visibility in the area has improved.


FILE: Sand storm hits several governorates in Egypt


FILE: Sand storm hits several governorates in Egypt

15:08 – Ras Ghareb-Hurghada Road has been closed due to reduced visibility because of sandy winds.


Gray sky and empty streets in Ras Ghareb, Red Sea governorate on April 30, 2018 - Facebook page of the Local Unit of Ras Ghareb city

Below is a video posted by The Facebook page of the General Administration of the Red Sea Underground Water on April 18 of a dam built in Om Dhais Valley in Hurghada.



14:29 – Sandy winds and rains dominated Farafra Oasis in the New Valley governorate on Monday, and power has intermittently been cut off from entire villages. Main roads connecting Farafra to other towns and to Cairo and the Delta have also been closed.
Governor of the New Valley Mohamed al-Zamallout urged residents on Monday to avoid power supplies in streets, parks and areas affected by the bad weather, especially those near puddles.

Farafra witnessed thunder storms, rain, and sandy winds on Sunday. The governor demanded that rain drainage sinks be clear of obstructions and securing alternative power sources.


14:27 – Six highways in Upper Egypt and the Western Desert have been closed due to a sandstorm that has led to reduced visibility: Qena-Sohag Western Road, Dakhla-Owainat Road, Kharga-Asyut Road, Kharga-Baris Road, Kharga-Dakhla Road, and Dakhla-Farafra Road.

14:00 – Prime Minister Sherif Ismail stated after a meeting with Ahmed Abdel Aal, head of the Meteorological Authority, that clusters of clouds have been detected up until 1 p.m. in the south and east of the country, adding that there are regular inspection of maintenance work and sewer networks. He reassured that the government is “ready for any rains.”

12:30 – The official Facebook pages of the Red Sea governorate, towns, and different administration have been noticeably active since Sunday, posting updates and pictures of preparations in the face of anticipated floods. They have also shared each others’ posts in an apparent effort to show coordination that the cabinet has called for.



A Facebook statement by the General Administration of Red Sea Underground Water said dams and artificial lakes have been prepared to protect towns in Marsa Alam and Ras Ghareb, posting pictures of said dams as well as officials inspecting them.


A dam built to protect Sheikh Shazly village in Marsa Alam on April 28, 2018 – The Facebook page of the General Administration of the Red Sea Underground Water

The page also asked residents to avoid valleys and areas near torrents, transfer valuable items in their homes to the higher floors and close gas valves.

A total of 14 cesspools from Zafarana village in Ras Ghareb town until el-Zeit Mountain have also been inspected for readiness. General Atef Wagdy, head of Marsa Alam City, met with representatives of local road administrations to discuss the availability of equipment in case of floods. Trucks equipped with suction machines, other trucks equipped with drinking water tanks are some of the facilities discussed.


Tahdia artificial lake in al-Hawaysha Valley in Ras Ghareb on April 28, 2018 before it was secured by cement - The Facebook page of the General Administration of the Red Sea Underground Water


Securing Tahdia artificial lake in al-Hawaysha Valley in Rash Ghareb on April 28, 2018- The Facebook page of the General Administration of the Red Sea Underground Water