The Dubai leg of the world’s “first” TOKEN2049 crypto conference series is facing massive disruption after being hit by a strong storm that is believed to have flooded the event and the city as a whole.
TOKEN2049, which is scheduled to run through April 21, bills itself as one of the most esteemed crypto conferences and boasts speakers such as Peter McCormack, Vitalik Buterin, and Dovey Wan.
However, conference attendees risk ending up underwater after severe storms hit the United Arab Emirates, grounding flights and prompting authorities to warn residents to stay home. According to the National Center of Meteorology, “dangerous weather phenomena” will continue until Wednesday.
Visitors shared images of the devastation caused by the storm, with X users posting photos and videos of flooded streets and waterlogged cars slowly driving through Dubai. A joked“Come to Dubai, huge liquidity pool 🌊”, while another said“GM Dubai, surf @token2049.”
An X user also filmed part of the conference and reported that the event “has been liquidated”. When asked to clarify the situation, TOKEN2049 told Protos: “Entry and exit from Dubai is not affected and TOKEN2049 Dubai will proceed as planned. »
Organizers also released a survey today asking how conference attendees planned to travel. The poll included a “boat” option which is currently leading the poll with 40% of the vote. The tweet also highlights that “dry and sunny weather” is expected when the event is scheduled.
Dubai not prepared for flash floods
Flash floods previously hit Dubai in July 2022, leading to the deaths of seven migrant workers and the evacuation of more than 3,000 homes. According to the UAE National Center for Meteorology, climate change is causing increasingly extreme weather conditions.
In 2022, one designer/urban planner told Climate Home News that he doesn’t think Dubai has plans to equip urban cities against flooding. “They have money to be able to help repair the damage, but I think that’s the whole plan right now.”
A victim affected by the 2022 floods told the editor: “I think the heavy rains show the strong and weak points of the country. They are so capable of offering help and saving people, but there is no plan to prepare for this type of weather, which is rare but is happening more and more now.
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