Cyclone Kyarr: UAE schools close on east coast as storm leaves streets waterlogged

Kalba is among the areas hardest hit by surging seas

The Al Bradi neighbourhood is thought to be among the worst affected

Oct 30, 2019

An overnight storm surge from Cyclone Kyarr left an Emirati town flooded on Wednesday with schools closed and residents up to their knees in water.

Kalba on Sharjah's east coast is believed to be among the areas hardest hit after a second day of stormy weather linked to Cyclone Kyarr in the North Indian Ocean.

Abdullah Humaid, from the Sidra neighbourhood, said some families experienced "power cuts and had to leave their homes".

Municipality workers used pumps to drain the water on Wednesday and drivers struggled to navigate the town's flooded roads.

Police dug trenches and helped residents protect their homes from further damage.

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Oman bore the brunt of the bad weather so far with some of its coastal towns left waterlogged on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Waves appeared to easily burst over low coastal walls and onto main roads.

Kyarr is the strongest cyclone in the Arabian Sea in 12 years, second only to the category 5 Cyclone Gonu that ravaged the coast in 2007.

The damage so far has been from the periphery of the storm; Kyarr's epicentre is still several hundred kilometres from the Emirati and Omani coasts.

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