Deadly storm closes schools, suspends football in Egypt before heading to Turkey and Iran

Courtney Spamer
·2 min read

As coronavirus fears spread across the Middle East, a storm will be the threat to cause school closures in Egypt through the end of the week.

A strong storm that developed in western Egypt Thursday will move northeast to affect other countries such as Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia.

The storm is already being blamed for seven deaths across Egypt.

Heavy rainfall over a short period of time may create flash flooding, especially in urban and low-lying areas.

Gusty winds ahead of the rain can create dust storms like the one captured east of Amman, Jordan, on Thursday.

As the storm moves northeastward Friday and Saturday, the threat for flooding will also navigate that direction.

"Areas of heavy rain may create the potential for flooding across Syria and Israel in particular," added Richards.

On the northern extent of the storm, parts of Turkey and Iran, in the higher elevations, may have precipitation falling as snow. However, the storm will weaken by the time precipitation reaches this area, bringing less intensity.

Ahead of the storm's arrival in Egypt, the government started making preparations.

On Tuesday afternoon, local time, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly declared a suspension of schools across the country for Thursday because of the anticipated bad weather.

In response, Egypt's Ministry of Health announced it was preparing for more hospital patients and ambulances with the arrival of the storm, according to Al-Jazeera Egypt.

More suspensions and cancellations followed on Wednesday. Authorities announced leave for public and private business sectors on Thursday. The Egyptian Football Association also suspended upcoming matches from Thursday through Saturday because of the adverse weather.

Nation wide relief centers were opened on Thursday to provide shelter for anyone displaced and volunteers were on standby to assist, reported Masrawy.

On social media, some residents expressed concern that these suspensions came as a result of the weather, rather than the coronavirus outbreak. As of a report from the CDC on March 10, a total of 59 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Egypt, including one death.

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