Tafileh residents describe weekend blizzard as severest in decades

AMMAN – Residents of the southern Governorate of Tafileh said the weekend blizzard that hit the Kingdom was the severest in decades. 

In remarks to The Jordan Times over the phone, residents of Bseira and Qadissyeh said snow accumulation reached over 1.5 metres in their towns and they were without electricity for two days. 

Many residents posted photos of snow-covered roads on Facebook, while others showed mountains of snow flanking the streets after they were opened. 

Power was restored to most areas of Tafileh on Saturday night, according to the residents. 

Sakher Badarin, an official at Bseira Municipality, said the blizzard dumped over 1.5 metres of snow in the district, which is 1,600 metres above sea level, according to him. 

Salman Rofou, a resident of the same town, which lies some 180 kilometres south of Amman, said they did not expect the snowstorm to be so “severe”. 

“It was the toughest storm I have seen in years,” the 62-year-old noted.

“We were lucky to secure ourselves with basic commodities such as food and fuel,” Rofou said, adding that life started to go back to normal on Sunday. 

Mohammad Naanah from the hilly town of Qadissyeh, also described the snowstorm as the severest in decades. 

Authorities warned the public to be ready for such a storm, but “we did not expect it to be as harsh as it was,” Naanah said, adding that some old houses were badly damaged by the storm. 

The 65-year-old army retiree noted that side streets in the town, which has around 15,000 inhabitants, are still closed. 

Naanah said authorities worked hard to open the roads and fix power outages in the governorate, but the storm was beyond their control. 

On Saturday, Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission Chief Commissioner Farouq Hiari told The Jordan Times that technical teams were unable to reach some parts of Tafileh as snow accumulation reached record levels, particularly in Rashadiyeh, Qadissyeh and Bseira. 

He confirmed that snow accumulation reached over 1.5 metres in these areas. 

On Sunday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour urged government agencies to find a permanent solution for power cuts in Tafileh, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra. 

Petra quoted Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed as saying that a plan would be presented to the Cabinet on Wednesday.