The UAE experienced its largest day of rainfall in 75 years on this day last year, April 16.
In Al Ain alone 254mm fell, the equivalent of two years' average, flights were severely disrupted at Dubai International Airport, traffic ground to a halt as roads were flooded across the country and at least three people were killed as the nation battled the extreme weather.
One year from the historic storms, The National's team of photographers have put together their favourite pictures that best illustrate not just the extent of the flooding but also the heroic efforts to recover.
Every 'before' photograph was taken between April 16 and April 20, while every 'after' photograph was taken the following week – from April 21 to April 24.
In these photographs, taken by Chris Whiteoak, floodwater subsides in Al Barsha, Dubai.
Antonie Robertson noticed abandoned cars in floodwater on Al Sarfa Street along Al Thowima Street bridge in Al Sufouh, Dubai.
Hassan Ahmed Saqer Grocery on First Al Khail Street in Al Quoz 1, Dubai, was severely affected, as Antonie Robertson observed.
The flooding on Al Khail Road, Dubai, sparked travel disruption as many left their vehicles, Chris Whiteoak witnessed.
Antonie Robertson spotted residents resorting to travel by dinghy on First Al Khail Street in Al Quoz 1, near Al Marabea Street intersection in Dubai.
Several cars became stuck on waterlogged roads in Al Furjan, Dubai, as Pawan Singh captured the raw impact of the rainfall.
Al Furjan area was also struck by traffic delays as cars, pictured here by Pawan Singh, struggled to navigate the floodwater.
The extent of the heroic clean-up operation was captured clearly here by Pawan Singh in Al Furjan, Dubai.
Flooding in Abu Dhabi was generally less severe than in Dubai, as seen in Al Tabadul Street, Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi, courtesy of Victor Besa's photography.
Al Haq Mosque in Khalifa City, before and after being surrounded by floodwater in these pictures from Victor Besa.
Floodwater was removed quickly from the corner of Al Saqi Street and Al Khayl Street, Khalifa City, Victor Besa captured.
The Umm Suqeim Street turn-off from Sheikh Zayed Road, heading towards Sharjah, was severely flooded but the clean-up effort was fast and decisive, as photographed by Antonie Robertson.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
RESULT
Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)
Kolkata win by 25 runs
Next match
Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
