SANDSTORM DISRUPTS TRAVEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST Floods and fog add to chaos

Posted on 11/05/2015 | About Middle East, Anywhere

A thick sandstorm cloaked parts of the Middle East on Wednesday, clouding skies and disrupting travel for thousands including US first lady, Michelle Obama.   The storm engulfed the Jordanian capital of Amman where dust masks were on sale and the sun was just a pale disk.

Michelle Obama was set to fly to Jordan when an official travelling with her said the flight was delayed “due to a weather call.” The official, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, gave no further details.

Obama was on a two-nation visit to the Middle East to promote a girls' education initiative and was set to fly in from Qatar.

Meanwhile, tropical storm Chapala continued to lash arid and impoverished Yemen, submerging some streets in one eastern province and leaving only the roofs of cars visible.  Three aid flights from the Gulf nation of Oman landed in the badly-hit remote Yemeni island of Socotra, where Emirates Red Crescent workers have been handing out meals, blankets and tents to affected residents since Monday.

The UN says at least 40,000 people were displaced or temporarily evacuated from coastal areas of Yemen and that some 450 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Flooding in Egypt’s Nile Delta province of Beheira Egypt killed 10 people.

In the coastal city of Alexandria, heavy rainfall forced the closure of the ports and prevented many students from reaching schools.

In Israel, travel was disrupted for thousands of people when domestic flights to the resort town of Eilat were cancelled because of the weather, according to Ofer Lefler, a spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority. The Airports Authority website showed incoming and outgoing flights to Eilat's airport cancelled until the evening.

The haze shrouded parts of Israel. Images in Israeli media showed a few beachgoers seen through the fog on Israel's Mediterranean coast.

Last week, high winds and a downpour led to power outages for thousands and flooding in central Israeli cities.