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Flood Warning System- Aqaba, Jordan

February 2009

This is my first trip to the Middle East.  This is a USAID funded project to provide a flash flood warning system in the mountains above Aqaba, Jordan (at least the part I am involved with). Aqaba, Jordan rests on the Gulf of Aqaba, which feeds into the Red Sea. The coastline of the Gulf of Aqaba is shared between Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.  From the shores of Aqaba, Israel and Egypt and probably both within 20 miles of Aqaba, which rests on the opposite shore.

The reason I am there is because there has been loss of life and damage to commercial enterprises in Aqaba due to flash floods, with the most recent flood occurring in February of 2006.  Innovative Hydrology joined CDM in providing a flash flood warning system. The goal of this trip was to investigate the watershed and evaluate where the precipitation and river level monitoring automated stations are to be placed.

I found that the shores of Aqaba is stunning, with water that closely resembled that surrounding the Greek Islands in the Mediterranean. February was a beautiful time to go, with temperatures in the 70’s, which is in contrast to temperatures in the summer that regularly exceed 100 degrees.