Barran Press
The Authority for the Preservation of Historic Cities, under the control of the Houthi group, internationally designated as a terrorist organization, issued urgent warnings on Tuesday, August 27th, 2024, about the imminent collapse of historic buildings in Old Sana'a and other governorates.
The warnings came in response to the damage caused by heavy rains that hit several governorates, including the Houthi-controlled capital Sana'a. The rains damaged several historic forts and castles, and caused the collapse of historic homes and buildings in Sana'a, its surrounding areas, and the governorates of Ibb, Amran, Al Bayda, and Al Hudaydah.
The Authority reported receiving hundreds of reports about historic buildings in Old Sana'a and other areas that are at risk of collapse, revealing that a historic palace had already collapsed in one of the old neighborhoods.
In the same context, the Antiquities and Museums Authority in Sana'a called on the Houthi de facto authorities, local organizations, and international organizations involved in supporting and protecting heritage to assist them in rescuing and protecting historical sites from the damage caused by the ongoing rainfall.
The Authority warned in a statement seen by Barran Press of significant risks that historical sites may face if urgent and serious action is not taken to save them from complete collapse.
The statement mentioned that the heavy rains had severely damaged the towers of the historic city wall of Thula in Amran Governorate, and caused some stones to fall from the facade of the historic fortress in Dhiria al-Dhuha in Al Hudaydah.
For weeks, most Yemeni governorates have been experiencing heavy and continuous rainfall, causing damage to public and private property. Castles and historic buildings in several governorates have also been affected.
Activists in areas under the control of the Iranian-backed group accused them of ignoring the magnitude of the disaster and failing to respond to residents' calls for help, as they are preoccupied with launching their annual sectarian events marking the "Prophet's Birthday."
Earlier on Tuesday, the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Meteorology's Center for Weather Forecasting and Early Warning predicted the continuation of heavy thundery rains, some accompanied by hail and strong winds, on highlands, slopes, and western coastal plains from Saada in the north to Taiz, Al Dhale'e, and Lahj in the south, over the next 72 hours.
The center explained in its weather bulletin that satellite imagery, numerical model outputs, upper air layers, and surface observations indicate that Yemen will continue to be affected by thundery rains and strong winds, according to the official Yemeni news agency Saba.
The center pointed out the possibility of continued rainfall of varying intensity, some thundery and accompanied by strong winds, in parts of the deserts, highlands, and plateaus of the governorates of (Mahra, Hadhramaut, Shabwa, Abyan, Marib, Al Jawf).