A Perfect (Sand)Storm

Last Sunday began as usual in Riyadh with a warm, sunny morning but predictions for high winds later in the afternoon. By noon the sky had become overcast and off to the northeast, there appeared to be a distant blanket of mist or sheets of rain either of which would be rare if not extraordinary. By mid-afternoon one of our administrative secretaries told me she had just received a weather alert that a major sandstorm was heading for Riyadh from the north, i.e., Kuwait, and that employees were encouraged to leave early. Had this been a prediction oif a major snow storm heading from Cleveland to the 'Burgh, I would likely have continued business as usual, taking note of the traffic flows on 5th Avenue. But in this situation I really didn't know what to expect and the secretary had a note of genuine concern in her voice. Since I'm at the mercy of the shuttle bus to get to and from my compound, I decided to abandon ship for the next (4:15 pm) shuttle.

When I left our building for the 5 minute walk across a dusty construction site (the footprint for an on-campus overhead tram being built) the wind had become gusty and gritty and the sky menacing. By the time I reached the bus stop trash was flying about and women clutching their head scarves, lab coats and abayas. The Yamama III bus arrived on time and several of us boarded quickly relieved to be sheltered from the wind and dust. Just as the bus was about to leave the station, a curtain of total (but reddish) darkness fell as if some one had thrown the "lights off" switch. Although the driver had his high beams on it was not clear that he had more than a few feet of vision. As we slowly wound our way through the campus service roads to the main highway, many limos and personal vehicles pulled over to the side. Our driver forged ahead and merged into a light stream of traffic on the highway in what was essentially pitch dark conditions. Having become somewhat acclimated to the terrors of normal driving in Riyadh, I realized yet again that I had no contol over this situation and so peered out the window looking for signs of break in the storm or perhaps apocalyptic visions suggesting this we might indeed be approaching Judgment Day.

Well, by the time we reached the compound the light had been restored to early evening level, the sky was a chalky gray, a muddy rain hit the windshield and apparently the Endtimes had at least been postponed. So now I have passed yet another expat test: weathering the Saudi version of a blizzard. In fact, I have subsequently learned that the intensity and suddeness of this storm was a once in a decade occurence - and that most sandstorms hitting Riyadh are milder but dirtier and more long lasting. In this case my porch was covered with mounds and rivulets of muddy red and the floor mat strewn with seed pods. The good news is that this means job security for the Filipno guys who contract with the residents to clean the villa facades, porches and windows - a silver lining in every sandstorm cloud!