A person paddles through a flooded street in Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. FLORIDA DIVISION OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

The UAE Embassy in Washington has evacuated 34 Emiratis residing in Tampa, Florida as hurricane Idalia arrived in the west coast of the US state. Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States, said that 16 UAE citizens were evacuated to Miami and 18 to Atlanta. Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida on Wednesday with 125mph winds, flooding streets, snapping trees and cutting power. State officials, 5,500 police and rescue crews were in search-and-recovery mode, inspecting bridges, clearing toppled trees and looking for anyone in distress. The UAE Embassy urged its citizens to take precaution and keep away from hurricane-affected areas, and adhere to the instructions issued by local authorities. The embassy also urged the public to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE in emergency cases through the number 0097180024, in addition to registering on the “Twajudi”. ICA/Expat Media
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