Dannevirke expats caught up in violent Dubai and UAE storms

The environment took a battering during the storm that hit the UAE. A Kiwi living in Abu Dhabi has described the storm in an account to his parents in Dannevirke.

When a storm hit the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring Oman last month, Peter and Nathalie Redward were there to see it first-hand.

The Middle East nations experienced two years of rain in 24 hours, severely affecting this busy commercial hub, especially Dubai and its airport – the world’s busiest for international travel.

It began late on Tuesday, April 15, with heavy downpours and violent winds. The streets of Dubai were flooded and lightning flashed across the sky, occasionally touching the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.

Down the coast in Abu Dhabi, residents also experienced the storms.

Peter, who has Dannevirke roots, sent his parents Mark and Kath the following report:

“Two nights ago, we had a tremendous lightning storm with sheets of lightning all across the sky. That went on for several hours. Then at this time last night (5.30pm), the sky went almost pitch dark and the black rain arrived, coupled with hurricane-force winds.

Massive concrete blocks were overturned in the storms.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a storm quite like it. We were in the living room, and I was saying to Nathalie that the windows were shaking violently and that they may burst, and we should leave the room. Next thing, a gust of wind picked up my Chinese coffee table from on the deck, hurled it into the glass door with a bang and then flung it down the side of the apartment, where it hit the wall at the end, punched several holes in the wall and disintegrated.

Wind damage to a building.

“This coffee table was made in China and was solid wood. It was very well made and I could barely lift it on my own and it was thrown against the house like a feather in the wind. You can see where it hit the house, and at that point it had only been flung about one metre. If it had hit the glass window six inches to the right in that photo, it would have crashed through the window and straight into me. Which would have been a very bad thing. One of the two chairs survived, and I haven’t been able to locate the other, it’s simply disappeared.

Fences and other structures smashed.

“There is lots of damage all around. Trees blown over, fences blown over, scaffolding on the ground, street signs gone, flooding. I think we got hit just as hard, or harder, than what we’ve seen from Dubai.”

In an update, Peter reported that concrete blocks had been tipped over, a shipping container on the building site next door was on its side and other residents weren’t as lucky as him. Their outdoor furniture smashed front windows, letting the storm into their apartments.