Flash floods cause heavy damage in Duhok town

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Duhok’s Bamarni town is one of the areas that has borne the brunt of flash floods that have ripped through parts of the Kurdistan Region in recent days incurring significant material damages to civilians' households and properties.

Heavy rain has showered all parts of the Kurdistan Region over the past few days, with Duhok province experiencing the highest level of rainfall across the Region.

Footage submitted to Rudaw by locals in Bamarni shows a meter-high floodwater washing away civilian vehicles.

"At around 4:30 am [on Wednesday], we realized that the first floor of our house was full of floodwater. We barely managed to make it to the second floor. I noticed that the floodwater was washing away vehicles," Nechirvan Ahmed, a teacher, told Rudaw's Naif Ramadhan.

Municipality teams are engaged in an extensive campaign to open roads blocked by flooding.

"This flooding inflicted massive damages to the town of Bamarne including households, vehicles, and schools. Many of the streets are too damaged by the flood," Bizav Mohammed, mayor of Bamarne town told Rudaw.

According to data Rudaw has obtained from the mayor, a total of 21 houses and two schools were flooded.

Metrology authorities in the Kurdistan Regional Government have warned that similar heavy rainfalls are expected over the weekend.