catch someone short

in: "many Kuwaitis were caught short outside" -what does it mean?

and other questions:

what does "khera" mean, in "Uday Hussein, was one sick piece of khera."

shit if i'm right, but don't i like to be pedantic

Context--it's from another TT thread about the first Gulf War:
>Many Kuwaitis were temporary refugees in numerous countries the Uk offered this temporary status for a few hundred and gave them free hotels and money to subsist until the ordeal was over- as many didn't return for up to one year later due to the massive pollution and damage. I have never heard of a Kuwaiti being a refugee other than that. The invasion happened during the summer vacation time which was why so many Kuwaitis were caught short outside - I would have thought that was a blessing for them.

I'd say that giventhe context it means "unprepared for a sudden emergency." The Kuwaitis were away from Kuwait when the Gulf War started and were not prepared to be refugees.

"Caught short" often does mean to have to use the toilet in a sudden and unpredictable way, with no toilet available.

Yep, 'khara' means 'shit' in Arabic.