'Tsunami-like' sea swells hit once flood-free Dhigurah

Not normally affected by swell waves, the heavy rainfall on Wednesday night brought swell waves on ADh. Dhigurah, causing houses to flood and extensive damage to properties.

An official from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) told Atoll Times on Thursday that efforts are underway in collaboration with the council to identify the scope of damages caused by swell waves on the island last night.

However, the official said that there are difficulties in identifying the damages due to the persisting bad weather.

Noting that Dhigurah is not an island that experiences swelling waves normally, the NDMA official said that no reports of swell-flooding have been received from the island for the past 10 years.

A video that has gone viral on social media shows waves landing on the streets of Dhigurah; one after the other.

The residents of the island described it as a "tsunami".

Last night’s heavy rainfall caused extensive water logging in Naifaru, Lhaviyani atoll.

MNDF has been working to drain water from some houses using a pump since noon, Thursday, since the flooding had caused immobility within the island.

NDMA said that only Dhigurah and Naifaru have reported to be suffering damages due to heavy rainfall.

The Maldives is noted among the first countries to experience climate change impacts. Scientists and experts say climate change will increase the number of swell waves, persistent rainfall, flooding and erosion.

In July, swell waves wrought damage to over 20 islands in the Maldives. Some houses were flooded and families had to be relocated to other houses.

NDMA said that the swell waves to hit Dhigurah are the largest waves to crash ashore the Maldives, in the past seven years.