Mecca Sinks 3 Meters, Deadly Floods Sweep Away Cars and homes, as the summer they had to stop denying Earth is overheating continues:
CHAOS in Saudi Arabia! TRANSCRIPT
0:29 Imagine a desert city where rainfall is 0:32 rare, the air is bone dry, and streets 0:35 are built for heat, not water. Suddenly, 0:39 the sky opens. Within hours, walls of 0:42 water roar down mountain slopes, 0:44 sweeping away cars, tearing apart roads, 0:47 and swallowing entire neighborhoods. 0:50 This is Taif in Saudi Arabia's Mecca 0:53 province. Known for its rose gardens and 0:56 fruit orchards, it's a city that should 0:58 be safe from floods. But in a matter of 1:00 hours, it was drowning. Submerged under 1:03 nearly 10 feet of raging water. Scenes 1:06 of chaos unfolded. Vehicles tossed like 1:09 toys, families climbing to rooftops for 1:12 survival, and roads collapsing into 1:14 rivers. For residents, it felt like the 1:17 end of the world. For scientists, it was 1:20 yet another alarm bell. Proof that 1:22 extreme weather can strike anywhere, 1:24 even in the driest deserts on Earth. But 1:27 how could this happen in a place where 1:29 rain almost never falls? And what does 1:32 it mean for desert cities here in the 1:34 United States like Phoenix or Las Vegas? 1:38 Tonight, we uncover the shocking 1:40 disaster in Mecca and why it matters for 1:43 all of us. 1:48 Let's 1:54 go 2:01 back 2:14 Taib a historic city in Saudi Arabia's 2:17 mecca. province is often described as an 2:20 oasis in the desert. Nestled in the 2:23 mountains, it's famous for its cool 2:24 breezes, sprawling rose gardens, and 2:27 fruit orchards that thrive where the 2:29 desert heat softens. But what happened 2:32 here was unlike anything the city was 2:34 prepared for. Over just a few days, Taif 2:38 received more rainfall than it typically 2:40 sees in several months. The skies 2:42 unleashed a relentless downpour, and 2:44 within hours, streets that were once 2:46 dusty and dry transformed into raging 2:49 torrents of water. Cars were ripped from 2:52 highways and carried downstream like 2:54 driftwood. Families found their 2:56 neighborhoods submerged in water 2:58 climbing as high as 10 ft, 3 m. Entire 3:02 blocks became unrecognizable, swallowed 3:05 by the flood. The problem wasn't just 3:07 the amount of rain. It was the city's 3:10 vulnerability. Taif, like most desert 3:13 cities, was never designed for floods. 3:16 Its roads cut across dry riverbeds known 3:18 locally as wadis, channels that can turn 3:21 into rivers in minutes. Drainage systems 3:24 were minimal, designed only for 3:26 occasional showers, not storms of this 3:29 magnitude. The desert soil, hardened by 3:32 years of drought, could not absorb the 3:35 sudden deluge. Instead, the rain raced 3:38 across the surface, gaining speed and 3:40 force until it slammed directly into 3:42 homes, businesses, and infrastructure. 3:46 For residents, there was no warning, 3:48 only panic. One moment, they were 3:51 shopping or driving. The next, they were 3:53 clinging to walls, rooftops, and 3:56 anything solid enough to withstand the 3:57 rushing water. In just a short span of 4:00 time, Taif went from a desert haven to a 4:03 city under siege. 4:28 Mecca, the holy city of Saudi, the 4:31 city's infrastructure and devastated 4:33 local communities. 4:35 As the water rose, fear spread faster 4:38 than the storm itself. Residents who had 4:40 lived their entire lives in this desert 4:42 city said they had never seen anything 4:44 like it. Videos shared on social media 4:47 captured the chaos. Vehicles stacked on 4:50 top of each other. People waiting chest 4:53 deep through muddy torrent and parents 4:55 carrying children above their heads as 4:57 they searched desperately for higher 4:59 ground. Emergency responders rushed into 5:02 action, but the speed of the flood left 5:04 little time for preparation. Roads were 5:07 cut off within minutes, leaving many 5:09 stranded. Helicopters circled overhead, 5:12 plucking families from rooftops, while 5:15 rescue crews and inflatable boats 5:17 maneuvered through narrow streets now 5:19 transformed into rivers. "It felt like 5:21 the end of the world," one resident 5:23 later recalled. "In some neighborhoods, 5:26 neighbors became first responders. 5:28 Strangers formed human chains to pull 5:31 each other out of rushing currents. 5:33 Others broke down doors to lead trapped 5:35 families to safety. Mosques, schools, 5:38 and community centers quickly opened 5:40 their doors, serving as makeshift 5:42 shelters where people gathered, wet, 5:45 frightened, and in shock. But even in 5:47 the chaos, there was a sense of 5:49 resilience. Families huddled together, 5:52 sharing blankets and food. Volunteers 5:55 passed out bottled water and hot tea 5:57 while doctors treated injuries caused by 5:59 debris and collapsing walls. For many, 6:02 it was a stark reminder that when nature 6:05 strikes, survival often comes down to 6:08 community. 6:11 [Music] 6:14 [Applause] 6:23 Next one. Go. 6:40 This disaster in Taif is shocking, but 6:43 it isn't without precedent. Saudi Arabia 6:46 has faced deadly floods before, most 6:48 notably in Mecca back in 2009 and again 6:51 in 2010 when torrents of rain 6:54 overwhelmed the holy city, leaving 6:57 dozens dead and exposing the limits of 6:59 infrastructure designed for drought, not 7:01 deluge. 7:03 What happened in Taif this year is part 7:05 of that same dangerous pattern. Desert 7:08 cities built to endure searing heat, but 7:11 left vulnerable when the sky suddenly 7:13 unleashes more water in days than they 7:15 usually see in months. Globally, the 7:17 story echoes louder. In Yunan Province, 7:20 China, more than 10 in of rain fell in 7:23 just 24 hours, sparking landslides and 7:27 burying villages. In the United States, 7:30 cities like Houston and Boston, 7:32 thousands of miles apart, but united in 7:35 their vulnerability, are facing floods 7:37 more often, with once in a century 7:39 storms now happening every decade or 7:42 less. Scientists are clear. The common 7:45 thread isn't coincidence. It's climate 7:48 change. Warmer air holds more moisture. 7:52 That means when storms form, they dump 7:54 far heavier rain than in the past. And 7:57 when those storms hit landscapes 7:58 unprepared, whether it's a desert city 8:01 in Saudi Arabia, a coastal hub in the 8:03 US, or a mountain town in China, the 8:07 results are catastrophic. 8:09 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 8:11 Change warned years ago that extreme 8:13 rainfall events would intensify. Taif's 8:16 flooded streets are simply the latest 8:18 chapter in that prediction coming true. 8:30 Heat. Heat. 8:52 As the waters recede in Taif, the city 8:55 is left with the monumental task of 8:57 rebuilding. Roads that once connected 9:00 neighborhoods are now fractured or 9:02 buried under mud and debris. Power lines 9:05 sag dangerously. Water supplies are 9:08 disrupted and families sift through the 9:11 ruins of their homes, salvaging what 9:13 little they can. For many residents, 9:16 this flood wasn't just an inconvenience. 9:19 It was a life-altering event that swept 9:21 away cars, destroyed shops, and left 9:24 entire blocks unlivable. Emergency crews 9:27 have been working around the clock to 9:29 restore critical services. Bulldozers 9:32 clear clogged streets while engineers 9:34 assess which roads and bridges are safe 9:36 enough to reopen. Temporary shelters 9:39 have been established in schools and 9:41 community centers, offering clean water, 9:44 food, and basic medical care to those 9:47 displaced. But recovery here is not just 9:50 about repairing damage. It's about 9:52 rethinking how a desert city should 9:54 defend itself against floods that are no 9:57 longer rare. Authorities are now under 9:59 pressure to expand drainage systems, 10:02 reinforce floodprone roads, and 10:04 introduce modern early warning systems 10:07 that can alert residents before water 10:09 levels become life-threatening. 10:11 Experts warn that without these 10:13 upgrades, the next storm could be even 10:16 deadlier. What Taif is experiencing 10:18 today is a wake-up call, not just for 10:21 Saudi Arabia, but for every region once 10:24 considered safe from flooding. 10:27 from 10:57 As Taif begins its long road to 10:59 recovery, the city's focus is shifting 11:02 from emergency response to long-term 11:04 resilience. Bulldozers clear debris from 11:07 once busy streets. Engineers work to 11:10 restore water and power, and families 11:13 return to homes scarred by the flood. 11:15 But officials know that simply 11:17 rebuilding what was lost is not enough. 11:20 The challenge now is to build stronger, 11:22 smarter, and more prepared for the next 11:25 storm. Saudi engineers are already 11:27 exploring solutions. Expanding drainage 11:30 systems to handle sudden downpours, 11:33 reinforcing roads that cross vulnerable 11:35 flood planes, and investing in early 11:37 warning systems that can alert residents 11:39 before disaster strikes. These are steps 11:43 every community, whether in the Middle 11:44 East or America, must consider as 11:47 climate change rewrites the rules of 11:49 weather. In the US, cities like Miami, 11:52 Houston, and New Orleans are leading the 11:54 way with adaptation strategies, 11:57 elevating homes, installing massive 12:00 pumping systems, and redesigning 12:02 neighborhoods to coexist with rising 12:04 water. These efforts are expensive, but 12:07 the cost of inaction is far greater. 12:10 Every flooded highway, every destroyed 12:13 neighborhood, every displaced family is 12:15 a reminder of what's at stake. The 12:17 lesson from Taif is clear. Extreme 12:20 weather is no longer a distant 12:22 possibility. It's here. The future will 12:25 belong to those communities that don't 12:27 just rebuild, but reimagine how they 12:30 live with nature's growing extremes. 12:54 very common. 13:02 The floods in Taif are more than just a 13:04 local disaster. They are part of a 13:06 growing global pattern of extreme 13:08 weather. From Saudi Arabia's deserts to 13:11 America's coastlines, no place is truly 13:14 safe from the changing climate. The 13:16 question is not if these events will 13:18 happen again, but when and how prepared 13:21 we will be when they do. As recovery 13:24 begins, Taif stands as both a warning 13:27 and a lesson. Deserts can flood, cities 13:30 can drown, and the unimaginable can 13:33 happen overnight. But with awareness, 13:36 preparation, and action, communities can 13:39 reduce the toll of these disasters and 13:41 protect future generations. Thank you 13:44 for watching. If you found this report 13:46 insightful, please like this video, 13:48 share it with others, and subscribe so 13:50 you don't miss our future breakdowns of 13:52 extreme weather events. Now, we want to 13:55 hear from you. Do you think your city is 13:58 prepared for a disaster like this? What 14:01 measures would you want to see in your 14:02 community to stay safe? Let us know in 14:05 the comments below. Your voice matters 14:08 in this global conversation.
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