Dubai is dealing with unprecedented weather conditions. Biblical floods hit the city, destroying much infrastructure while hosting many important crypto conferences.
Heavy rain hit Dubai on April 16, making it impossible for events like Blockchain Life and Token2049 to go as planned. It broke records for the most rain falling in 24 hours. The heavy rain caused significant changes to meeting schedules. For example, Blockchain Life delayed its start time because the rain worsened traffic.
Biblical Floods Disrupt Dubai Crypto Conferences Social Media Videos Capture Chaos
Videos on social media showed the extent of the chaos, with flooded streets and malfunctioning transportation systems. People attending crypto conferences joked about how they would get to the events despite the huge crowds.
Even though we don’t know the full effects of the floods yet, a representative for Token2049 told the media that getting to and from Dubai had not been hampered and that the conference would go as planned.
The extreme weather did damage the city’s infrastructure, though. Because of operational problems, Emirates flights had to stop check-in for passengers leaving Dubai from 8 a.m. local time on April 17 until midnight. In the same way, Fly Dubai, a low-cost airline run by the government, stopped all flights from its hub in the UAE until 10 a.m. local time on April 17.
Because of the bad weather, the government issued a red warning on April 16, which caused businesses, schools, and banks across the country to close. The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Authority told people to stay inside and park their cars in high places that aren’t near areas that are likely to flood.
It will be interesting to see how well Dubai’s infrastructure holds up and how determined the conference managers are to get through the problems that have come up since the biblical floods.
