Heavy rains in Alexandria, ports close due to bad weather

ALEXANDRIA – 17 December 2018: Alexandria witnessed heavy rains on Monday morning which led to the closure of Dekhila ports as a result of the bad weather.

In a Monday statement, Alexandria Harbor Authority said closing all ports was necessary due to the wind velocity and high waves.The two harbors were closed to ensure safety of vessels and navigation movement, Spokesman for Alexandria Port Authority Reda Ghandour explained.

Loading and unloading movement of commodities was regular at the two harbors, the spokesman added.

On Dec 11, Meteorological experts warned that Egypt will be facing a new cold wave. West coasts were expected to witness stable weather during day, but extremely cold weather at night. Low and medium clouds were reported to appear accompanied by heavy rainfall on the northwestern coasts, according to experts.

Earlier in December, Egypt witnessed heavy rains and stormy winds. The government has announced that it is fully prepared for the upcoming winter season, heightening necessary measures to combat expected floods and prevent any relevant problems of accumulated rainwater in the streets.

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has worked on finishing the preparations for winter rains and downpours by carrying out a plan to check the pumping stations, clear canals, water banks and storm drains. Mohamed Abdel Aati, an official in the ministry, said in October that the preparation plan included maintenance of all pumping stations nationwide to be ready for sudden rains.

The ministry installed more than 25 emergency units in West Delta near the critical areas to avoid the recurrence of the 2015 floods.