Residents in Dubai and across the United Arab Emirates have been told to work from home on April 16 due to heavy rain and flooding affecting the country.

The National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) told residents to leave the safety of their homes only in “cases of extreme necessity”.

UAE residents have been asked to stay at home as heavy rains flooded streets and caused a couple of roads to collapse.

The National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) told residents to leave the safety of their homes only in “cases of extreme necessity”.

The authority also advised motorists to park vehicles in “distant, safe, and elevated locations away from areas prone to flooding”.

Schools went online overnight and all government employees were told to work from home Tuesday and Wednesday as the weather bureau warned of unstable weather conditions that will intensify in two waves today. Many vehicles have broken down as motorists attempted to drive through waterlogged roads. Lightning and thunder boomed through the skies as giant hailstones shattered vehicle windshields in some areas. Some residents have also reported electricity outages.

This the the second stay-home advisory issued by the authorities in two months. In March, residents were told to stay indoors as unstable weather prompted the closure of roads to valleys and mountains.