The real estate director in Dubai says that the flooding has been exaggerated: "Such things happen regularly in Miami."

Heavy rains occurred in Dubai, and by April 17, 2024, the city's streets were flooded. Hussein Sajwani, the chairman of Damac Properties, one of the leading developers in the UAE, tried to downplay the impact of the flooding, claiming that the issues were localized and not widespread. However, on April 16, this usually arid Arab state received a volume of precipitation equivalent to the annual normal level in just one day — something that had not been observed since meteorological records began in 1949.

Severe flooding has unleashed unstoppable torrents of water, submerging cars and forcing drivers to abandon their vehicles. Many people found themselves in a difficult situation, leaving their cars behind to escape the rising floodwaters. The weather also led to the closure of schools and businesses, disrupting dozens of flights, which worsened the situation. Life during this time was in chaos, as many experienced power outages and water supply issues, while some residents were stranded both in their homes and at airports.

Sadvani acknowledged the presence of problems at the airport but noted that the UAE managed to handle the situation much faster than many other countries. In an interview with CNBC, he stated:“I think the topic has been overhyped. Yes, there were damages in one of the shopping centers, but it’s not the end of the world, and everything was fixed soon after.”He added that he returned to Dubai from London just a few hours after the rain stopped and inspected significant properties owned by his company.

Chaos and consequences

On April 20, traffic in Sharjah was redirected to avoid flooded streets after record rainfall.

Later, he added that he sees no need to draw lessons from this storm, as similar phenomena have not occurred in the last 75 years. According to the National Center of Meteorology of the UAE, the eastern part of the country received up to 250 millimeters of rainfall in one day, while the annual average is usually between 140 and 200 millimeters.

Causes of flooding

The lack of storm drainage and the majority of built-up areas only exacerbated the flooding, as there was nowhere for the water to go. Currently, the authorities are continuing efforts to mitigate the aftermath of the disaster. One of the high-rise buildings on the border of Dubai and the emirate of Sharjah was completely evacuated due to the threat of collapse — the building tilted and cracked due to structural damage.

Some construction companies in Dubai have offered homeowners free repair services, taking responsibility for the consequences of heavy rain. Damac confirmed that they are working with local authorities to assist those affected by deploying special water pumping machines. Company representatives also noted that future projects will not be impacted by the rain, and most of their properties remained untouched.

“In fact, we didn’t suffer any significant damage; 98% of our units remained intact.”Sadvani summarized in an interview with CNBC, adding that a plan of action had been prepared by the company since the heavy rainfall.“Our infrastructure is better than that of many others, and we prepared in advance based on the warnings we received.”, he concluded.