Jordan Flash Floods: 12 killed and thousands evacuated

  • Posted on: 12 November 2018

Due to severe weather conditions in Jordan, heavy rainfall has caused flash floods in several areas earlier this week on Friday, which led to a total of twelve casualties. As such, accusations were made against the government for the poor conditions of infrastructure in the country and for the lack of preparation of the emergency services.

At the same time, several thousand tourists were forced to evacuate from the city of Petra, while dozens of individuals are still believed to be trapped. In some cities, a state of emergency was declared and main roads connecting major cities were closed.

Previously, on Oct. 25th, at least twenty-one individuals (mostly school children) were killed in a flash flood near the Dead Sea as their bus was swept away by flood water. Two government ministers were forced to resign as they were found guilty of negligence.

Search operations are still being carried out and hospitals were put on high alert as this scenario re-occurs annually. Sit-ins were organized by protesters last week and additional ones may be held in the near future.

Recommendations:

Refrain from traveling to the specified locations down below in the near future and check the security status before commuting between cities.

According to reports, the flash floods mainly occurred at the following locations:

Wadi Mousa 27.83 km NW of Ma'an, Al Petra 32.43 km NW of Ma'an, Al Tayba 26.27 km W of Ma'an, Athroh 20.09 km NW of Ma'an, Al Manshiya 25.25 km NW of Ma'an, Oriynba Al Nuiymat 114.73 km W of Mafraq, Al Madina 1.64 km NE of Amman, Al Remail 42.78 km S of Amman, Dubaya 45.50 km S of Amman, Al Shounah Al Jnoubia 17.64 km SW of as-Salt, Maleeh 14.77 km S of Madaba, Dab'a 22.77 km SE of Madaba, Sd Al Wala 17.08 km S of Madaba, Al Marigha 3.69 km SE of Karak.