Khaldeh: Public Works and Transport Minister, Fayez Rasamny, on Wednesday declared in a press conference held in Khaldeh that 'the storm we witnessed yesterday morning was a real and serious test of the ministry's preparedness ahead of the rainy season, and the results clearly showed that the proactive measures we implemented proved highly effective.'
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, despite the intensity of the downpour, which fell within a matter of minutes, the ministry's teams were able to clear water accumulation at record speed in all areas under their jurisdiction. As for administrative Beirut, where significant pooling occurred, it does not fall within the ministry's mandate, though they remain committed to assisting wherever needed.
Rasamny described the ministry's response as 'a relative achievement compared to previous years,' noting that several historically problematic points recorded no water accumulation for the first time in years, reflecting the success of pre-storm maintenance. These areas included Jounieh - Hawa Chicken, Dbayeh, inside the airport tunnel and at its exit, Doha El-Hoss - opposite Laguna, Sultan Ibrahim - Jnah, and Damour.
Highlighting the scale of the challenge, Rasamny revealed official figures showing 25.4 mm of rainfall in 30 minutes and 22.2 mm in just 15 minutes, equivalent to 89 mm per hour, 'three times higher than the global threshold that typically causes flooding even in the most advanced countries.'
Moreover, the Minister emphasized that ministry crews intervened immediately: drains in the Rahab area and the old airport road were cleared within five minutes, the Mar Mikhael underpass within ten, and Khaldeh within an hour, despite heavy traffic.
Rasamny stressed that water accumulation in a few locations was 'not the result of structural deficiencies but of waste swept by runoff, clogging drains within minutes, a factor unrelated to infrastructure integrity.' Maintenance teams documented these incidents on video.
Furthermore, the Minister condemned the 'misinformation campaign' that accompanied the storm, involving old or fabricated videos circulated as current footage. These falsely depicted flooding in locations such as the Cocodile tunnel, the Ouzai tunnel, and Sultan Ibrahim, 'areas that did not witness any water accumulation.' He urged the public to rely on official sources.
Rasamny concluded by underscoring that the ministry had achieved 'a clear success despite severe weather conditions,' while stressing that keeping drains clear remains 'a shared responsibility, as indiscriminate dumping of garbage is the primary cause of blockages regardless of preparedness.'
'Simply put,' he said, 'what happened today proves that the ministry is ready, effective, and capable of confronting any upcoming weather front with the same speed and standards, in service of all Lebanese.'