'Everywhere's a River': Traffic Crawls Through Floodwater During Dubai Deluge

Heavy rainfall swept across the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, April 16, inundating cities, disrupting travel, and restricting residents to their homes.

Footage captured by X user @micmannsa in Dubai shows traffic wading through several inches of muddy floodwater, adding “there’s nowhere for the water to go…everywhere’s a river.”

Dubai police and emergency personnel diverted traffic and assisted motorists stranded in the flooding, as several key roadways were shut down. Meanwhile, Dubai International Airport warned passengers of severe delays and dozens of canceled flights.

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority urged residents to stay indoors and to only leave “in cases of extreme necessity,” advising motorists to park in elevated locations away from flood-prone areas.

The rain was forecast to persist into Wednesday, as “two waves of unstable weather” sweep the region, local outlet Khaleej Times reported, citing the National Centre of Meteorology. Credit: @micmannsa via Storyful

Video transcript

And I suppose it's compounded because it's raining and there's nowhere for the water to go. The water just-- everywhere's a river. Everywhere is a river. And I suppose it's compounded because it's raining and there's nowhere for the water to go. The water just-- everywhere's a river. Everywhere is a river.

And I suppose it's compounded because it's raining and there's nowhere for the water to go. The water just-- everywhere's a river. Everywhere is a river. And I suppose it's compounded because it's raining and there's nowhere for the water to go. The water just-- everywhere is a river. Everywhere is a river. And I suppose it's compounded because it's raining and there's nowhere for the water to go. The water just-- everywhere is a river. Everywhere is--