BAGHDAD—After a night of intense rain storms, the joke being shared on social media Thursday assures Iraqis that they don’t need to go far to catch a migrant boat to Europe.
“Grab a boat from Baghdad and it will take you straight to Greece,” the joke reads, as millions of Iraqis awoke to knee-deep floodwaters that seeped into homes and paralyzed parts of the city.
Blocks of ice, typically for sale, floated down the streets of Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood as men trudged through the muddy water trying to assess damage.
The rare rain storms began late Wednesday and continued into Thursday, dumping heavy rain on the Iraqi capital and across the country. The Iraqi government declared Thursday a holiday to ease the burden on people who may otherwise struggle to get to work and school.
Police and security forces were deployed in Baghdad to help citizens navigate the floodwaters. Security forces have been stretched thin battling the Islamic State militant group since last year, so the battle with Mother Nature comes as an added challenge.
“We are your brothers, and we are here to serve the citizens of Iraq,” one police offer in central Baghdad said, speaking live on Iraqiyya state television.
Old and inadequate drainage systems have long been an issue in Iraq and among the complaints of citizens who have been protesting for better basic services and an end to corruption. Calls for reform have intensified since the summer, when scorching temperatures led to chronic power cuts.
