Amman, Dec. 27 (Petra) – As the Kingdom enters a series of successive weather depressions starting on Saturday, experts in disaster management and meteorology say Jordan is markedly strengthening its preparedness through an integrated national plan that unifies the efforts of numerous public and private institutions.

Relevant authorities continue to raise their readiness around the clock, with a focus on areas most vulnerable to flash floods and landslides, within a proactive and integrated planning approach. This highlights the importance of the National Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2023–2030) as a central line of defense to protect lives and property, within a systematic framework for coordinating efforts and national consultations among various relevant sectors, to ensure the sustainability of essential services at the highest efficiency standards, particularly amid winter weather instability.

As the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) warns of successive weather systems this week, experts told the Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the biggest bet remains public awareness and citizens’ adherence to instructions and warnings issued by official bodies, as individual compliance becomes a protective shield that translates plans into reality, reduces losses and safeguards achievements in the face of winter fluctuations and the repercussions of climate change.

Director of the Media Response Unit at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management, Ahmad Al-Naimat, said the center is monitoring weather developments in real time with relevant authorities to ensure the readiness of state institutions and respond to any field developments.

He said climate change has led in recent years to a clear shift in weather behavior patterns, with increased frequency of instability cases becoming a defining feature of rainy seasons, raising the likelihood of flash floods and the associated human and material losses.

Al-Naimat said the center focuses its work on weather conditions that pose real risks, particularly atmospheric instability, as these are among the most complex and difficult to forecast in terms of rainfall intensity, timing and location. They are also the main cause of flash floods, which may, God forbid, result in significant human and material losses.

He said water accumulations resulting from ordinary rainfall do not fall within the strategic risks monitored by the centre, as they are handled by other specialised entities, while the centre’s focus is on cases involving direct threats to public safety.

Al-Naimat said the centre issues warnings when weather models and indicators point to real risks linked to instability conditions, urging citizens to follow weather updates continuously, stay away from flood channels and adhere to the instructions of competent authorities to ensure their safety.

On field response, Acting Secretary General for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Local Administration Bakr Rahamneh said the ministry activates the early warning system for weather conditions based on meteorological maps issued by the Meteorological Department to identify high-risk areas and distribute them to municipalities to raise their readiness to deal with emergencies and developments resulting from sudden weather changes.

Rahamneh said work continues to clean culverts, flood channels and valleys and remove obstacles before and during weather events, in addition to monitoring a number of hotspots during previous depressions, for which studies have been conducted to address them.

He said there are hotspots for which allocations have been earmarked in the 2026 budget to be addressed, noting that the ministry has asked municipalities to allocate financial resources for infrastructure projects in next year’s budget.

Coinciding with the weather systems, Rahamneh said shelters are available in most municipalities across the Kingdom, urging citizens to exercise the utmost caution and avoid low-lying areas, valleys and sites of rainwater ponds, especially during depressions and heavy rainfall, to avoid the risk of flash floods that may pose a threat to lives and property, as water levels are expected to rise in those areas.

JMA Director Raed Al-Khattab revealed plans to launch a smart mobile application providing instant weather updates and real-time warnings to citizens, in addition to work on establishing a weather radar in the south of the Kingdom to complete coverage, and relying on artificial intelligence technologies in atmospheric simulation models and more accurate climate data analysis.

Speaking to Petra, Al-Khattab said the department has a strategic goal of contributing to the protection of lives and property. He said the Meteorological Department is linked to a wide network of government institutions, ministries and the private sector, comprising about 300 liaison officers, who are provided with weather bulletins and warnings regularly in the morning and evening via email and approved WhatsApp groups, to guide citizens and enable the necessary preventive measures.

He said there is direct coordination with the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management through a weather forecaster at the centre who provides relevant authorities with information and warnings specific to each region of the Kingdom, in addition to supplying municipalities, the Greater Amman Municipality, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministries of Agriculture and Local Administration, as well as the Civil Defence, with continuous updates.

Al-Khattab stressed the importance of the media in delivering weather warnings to the widest possible segment of citizens, noting that the department has a website and an active presence on social media platforms, in addition to a WhatsApp channel with a large number of subscribers to disseminate warnings and alerts according to the nature and severity of the weather situation.

He said weather bulletins and warnings have a direct impact on the economy and institutions and the depletion of resources, stressing that warnings issued by the Meteorological Department represent the official and decisive reference for weather information in the Kingdom. He added that the department provides pilots with accurate information including hazardous clouds, turbulence, wind speed and direction, and airport conditions, as well as guidance to alternative airports in emergencies.

Al-Khattab said that during atmospheric instability, regions of the Kingdom may experience varying conditions, with rainfall in one area and dangerous flash floods in others, requiring caution from everyone. He noted that Jordan’s Meteorological Department possesses a national climate bank more than 100 years old, one of the oldest in the region, containing data dating back to 1921.

Civil defence expert and lecturer at the Royal Jordanian National Defence College, retired Major General Marwan Al Smeiat, said winter in Jordan has become a practical test for an integrated national risk management system, as the Kingdom’s terrain, along with regional climate shifts and increased severity of weather phenomena, have made dealing with winter a strategic issue requiring institutional and community integration and proactive preparedness.

Al Smeiat, an academic at Amman Al-Ahliyya University, identified three main pillars that enhance Jordan’s leadership as a regional model in proactive preparedness and institutional resilience in managing winter risks. The first is institutional readiness through coordination between civil defence and all state agencies and deployment at hotspots based on cumulative risk maps, with difficult weather handled through specialised teams such as water rescue and mountain rescue units. The third pillar involves rapid intervention plans in cases of road closures, especially in mountainous areas, preparing tracked vehicles and boats for the Jordan Valley, the south and high-risk areas, and full readiness to deal with suffocation incidents resulting from gas leaks and heater use.

He said the second pillar is operational readiness, embodied in rapid response plans by relevant state entities and effective management of emergency reports through the 911 system and the smart reporting system, which allow for rapid incident location identification and team dispatch, activation of the command and control centre at the Public Security Directorate, and the designation of support routes between governorates.

The third pillar, according to Al Smeiat, is the most critical and relates to handling domestic incidents. He said 70% of winter incidents occur in homes and are linked to individual behaviours, such as improper use of heating devices, leaving them on during sleep, or using charcoal and firewood indoors without ventilation, leading to the accumulation of toxic gases, as well as risky behaviour by some people attempting to cross floodwaters, endangering lives and property.

Al Smeiat said the preparedness of the Public Security Directorate/ Civil Defence reflects a spirit of modernisation and openness to contemporary risk management methodologies. He said winter plans are built on comprehensive analysis of potential risks, deployment of human and technical resources, and enhanced coordination between official institutions and local communities.

In the context of enhancing road and household safety, public safety expert Ahmad Lajfout warned of the dangers of thunderstorm rain characterised by randomness in timing and location, and the soil erosion and sudden water accumulation they cause.

Lajfout advised ventilating homes every two hours when using gas and kerosene heaters, noting that central heating and air conditioners are safer options. He also advised strengthening preventive measures including insulating water pipes, draining solar water tanks to prevent freezing, and providing manual equipment such as shovels and axes and backup lighting in homes.

//Petra// AF

27/12/2025 20:47:29