November 25th, 2009 was a sad day in Saudi Arabia. In the city of Jeddah 150 people died due to flash floods. On December 28th, 2009 - about a month later - at least 40 Saudi officials were arrested for investigation (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8432432.stm). Are they scapegoats?
Saudi Arabia is a desert. It is not known for heavy rainfall. Storm Drains are not a normal part of the Saudi Arabian infrastructure. On years when it rains, typically in November or December, the streets of low lying areas are flooded. Fleets of water tankers pump out the water to restore the streets to normality within a day or two. This system has worked effectively for decades.
Why not build Storm Drains you might ask? After all Saudi Arabia is a rich country! Yes, Saudi Arabia could build Storm Drains but within a matter of months they would be clogged with sand because of the nature of the land and they would be totally ineffective when needed unless there was a program to clear them of sand every year.
The 40+ officials have been arrested in Jeddah because of the November 25th incident. Would it have been different if it happened in Riyadh, Dammam or Al-Khobar instead? Have the officials in Riyadh, Dammam and Al-Khobar acted differently from those in Jeddah? Are they innocent because a flash flood did not visit their cities?
Is the incident in Jeddah related to global climate change or not? In a changing climate can one rule out a snow storm in Jeddah or any of the major Saudi Arabian cities? If this did happen in a land where only a handful amongst millions have driven in snow, where there are no winter tires nor snow ploughs and salters, where vehicles are not equipped with front wheel drives, would the death toll exceed 150?
Will there be a snow storm in Saudi Arabia? Possible, but probably after the Maldives and other islands have been wiped off the earth and large swaths of coastal areas in Bangladesh and other coastal countries have been submerged from rising seas following global warming.
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