Snowstorm cuts off access to villages in Lebanon”s mountains

 

The heavy storm that has been pounding Lebanon since Monday, cutting off mountain roads and wrecking havoc on power lines, is expected to recede on Wednesday morning, meteorologists said on Tuesday. The weather in Lebanon will be cloudy on Wednesday, with ice expected to be formed in the Bekaa Valley and the highlands in the early morning and at night, the Civil Aviation Department at Rafik Hariri International Airport said on Tuesday. Temperatures are likely to increase as of Thursday, the forecast added.

 

Temperatures will range between 5 and 16 degrees Celsius along the coast, between -1 Celsius and 11 degrees in the highlands and between -3 and 11 degrees in the Bekaa Valley. The forecast called for

southwesterly winds blowing at speeds between 15 and 45 kilometers per hour, with poor visibility in the

mountains.

 

Southern regions saw torrential rains and biting cold on Tuesday for the second day in a row.

 

In the southern port city of Sidon, the storm caused a landslide at the notorious seaside dump known as the “rubbish mountain,” sending an estimated 150 tons of garbage into the sea, according to a statement issued by the Sidon municipality.

 

The municipality statement claimed that a magnitude 5 earthquake in Lebanon last week had caused “cracks” in the mountain of garbage, leading to the collapse during the storm.

 

“The Sidon municipality has announced a state of environmental emergency and is taking necessary measures to limit sea pollution,” the statement said.

 

Environmental experts have long warned that parts of the Sidon dump were likely to fall into the sea during the next major winter storm. The mountain of waste has partially collapsed into the Mediterranean several times in the past.

 

Jezzine”s villages witnessed severe thunderstorms on Tuesday, with thick fog covering the surrounding region. Snow fell at elevations of 700 meters and above, cutting off roads and bringing life to a standstill.
 

Jezzine Mayor Saeed Abu Akl said the municipality “is working around the clock to respond to any emergency.”

 

“We praise efforts being made in this regard by the Public Works Ministry, Civil Defense personnel and civil society institutions,” Abu Akl told the state-run National News Agency.

 

In the Chouf region, snow fell on Tuesday at elevations of 800 meters and above, blocking off mountain roads,

particularly in Niha, Jbaa, Khreibeh, Betmeh, Barouk and Aley where the depth of snow reached a minimum of 25 centimeters.

 

Most of the Chouf regions were hit with heavy fog and hailstorms. The storm played havoc with telephone cables and electrical wires, plunging several areas into darkness.

 

Residents of the upper Chouf urged the relevant authorities to provide them with the necessary machines and bulldozers to clear the snow that isolates their villages from neighboring areas.

 

Meanwhile, Public Works and Transport Minister Mohammad Safadi gave directions on Tuesday to all of the ministry”s directorates across the country to reopen closed roads and help civilians trapped by snow.

 

Safadi called on Electricite du Liban to fix electrical defects caused by the current storm in several Lebanese regions. He also called for providing Lebanon”s mountainous areas with the heavy equipment they need to reopen roads that are blocked by heavy snowfall.

 

The storm was the second to hit the region in three weeks, in what has been a harsh winter in the usually temperate Mediterranean region.

Picture: A Lebanese soldier patrols the snow-covered streets in the town of Bhamdoun, east of Beirut on February 19, as the country experiences a cold snap. (AFP/JOSEPH BARRAK)