the irony of desert flash floods

images from 'Haaretz' online newspaper

This was the week, these past few days the Negev got more rainfall than it usually receives in a couple of years. Two people who partook in "flood hunting" i.e. the dangerous sport of driving down to the desert to catch a rare glimpse of it filling up with water, did not make it out alive. These floods occur rarely, but when they do, they bring with them destruction to infrastructure and potential casualties. Wouldn't it make sense to find a way to harness this much needed water?