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Rain in Sharm El Sheikh!
You might find this an odd item for a news page, but for us here in the dry,
hot desert, rain is a sensation!
 Early
morning on 30 October the rain started, and it
poured down from heavy, dark clouds with such
intensity that small streams immediately formed
and started moving towards lower ground. There
were even reports of hail stones coming down.
This rainy morning was preceded by a night lit
up by constant lightning. Just before the rain
began, the thunder started and got louder and
louder as the storm rapidly approached Sharm.
 Our
first thoughts, as always when you get rain in
the desert, were whether the rain was going to
lead to a potentially hazardous flash flood. These
lands aren't able to hold much rain due to the
lack of vegetation and soil. So flash floods are
common when desert countries finally receive rain
and often with tragic results. More people die
from drowning in the world's deserts than from
thirst. Something to remember!
 Yes,
the flash flood came but wasn't as bad as the
previous one, in 1996, and the rain lasted for
only two days. However, some of the residents
in Sharm were pretty badly hit and got their houses
flooded by wastewater and sewage. Water came in
through windows, balconies, toilets, under doors
and even through the air conditioning units. Traffic
was at a standstill in some places with broken
down cars and deep pools of water in the lower
parts of the roads.
 The
best place to be was in the desert! Roaring rivers,
waterfalls, pools and streams could be seen for
a painfully short time before it was all over
and quiet again. The pools will be there for a
while and then the aridity will take over, as
it always does. These were truly magical two days
of nature showing its awesome power and reminding
us of how insignificant we are. But now we have
something else to look forward to! Within weeks
and months, seeds that have been sleeping for
years will finally get a chance to sprout. The
previously dry and barren desert will become lush
and green with trillions of flowers, plants, butterflies,
and other insects. The landscape will transform
itself into a temporary Garden of Eden and will
take on a rare and beautiful shroud of life until
the unforgiving heat returns. But hopefully some
of the new plants will be able to withstand the
sizzling temperatures of summer. Bedouins will
come from all over Sinai with their animals and
tents to take advantage of nature's generosity.
Thankfully nobody was hurt or killed in this flood.
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