Heavy rains beat Kurdistan, cause floods

  ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: Heavy rain storms have hit north Iraq ’s Kurdistan Region over the past 24 hours, causing the collapse of some mud houses, though they helped with clearing dust storms,Iraqi News Correspondent in Arbil reported.   “Heavy rains fell on Arbil land other Kurdistan provinces since the first hours of Friday, continuing in unprecedented state in the past few years,” he quoted weather experts as saying.   They expected that the heavy rainfalls would help in growing wheat and barley crops in the Region, along with raising the level of dam waters, following a long drought period.   In Arbil, heavy rains continued on Saturday, causing high water levels covering different streets of the city, hampering the movement of cars and people.   A wave of heavy rains and sand storms have hit different parts of Iraq over the past two days, causing the collapse of dozens of houses in a number of towns in different parts of Iraq, especially Karbala city, where over 20 houses were collapsed and dozens of electric power towers fell down, along with hundreds of palm-trees.   Heavy rain storms have also hit villages in northern Iraq ’s Sinjar township, causing the collapse of several houses and the loss of at least two persons over the past 24 hours.