ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 25 houses in Erbil province were flooded after a rain storm swept the Kurdistan Region on Friday.
Several areas of Erbil were flooded and traffic was severely affected in the capital’s Bahirka subdistrict, Karwan Mirawdali, spokesperson for Erbil civil defense, told Rudaw on Friday.
“There were no casualties. Water entered around 25 houses in Bahirka, but the level of the water was low and did not cause much damage,” Mirawdali added.
According to Rudaw reporters on the ground, flooding hit several neighbourhoods in Erbil city.
Floods are a common natural disaster in Erbil and some years they are deadly and destructive.
Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw said late on Friday that they have taken measures to prevent flooding, but “what happened today was unexpected.”
In late 2021 and early 2022, Erbil bore the brunt of heavy rainstorms that caused flooding affecting at least 826 families. Twelve people were killed, including a ten-month-old baby. The Ministry of Municipality and Tourism at the time assessed the damages amounted to more than 21 billion dinars (over $14 million).
