The worry furrows on many a brow are going to deepen. Cyclone Gonu is still vivid in everyone’s memory and the people in Oman are not ready or prepared for further storm-related trouble.
They have had enough to contend with early this month, following Gonu, so any reports of an impending storm is sure to send a shiver down many a spine, especially those who have been at Gonu's receiving end.
While it is clear that there is no storm approaching, the Met office, in their latest report said that there would be heavy rains in 48 hours.
Officials of the Met office told Radio Sultanate of Oman FM that there would be heavy rains within the next 48 hours.
The officials warned that there would be heavy rains, which would, naturally, bring in wadi overflows.
The seas would also be rough with high waves, they added.
But, once again, the officials made it clear that it was not another cyclone, as has been rumoured since some days now.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Gonu-newsfeeds, June 17th, 2007
Top Omani officials met to discuss the post-Gonu situation on Saturday, June 16th, 2007.
We carry here a small report.
MUSCAT – Oman suffered more than RO1.25billion loss due to cyclone Gonu, which ravaged the country early this month.
The Ministry of National Economy announced on Saturday that the initial evaluation of the volume of damage caused by the cyclone was estimated between RO1.25 billion and RO1.5 billion. The ministry officials noted that the damage to the infrastructure alone might amount to RO1 billion.
The estimation and evaluation announced by the NCCD (National Committee for Civil Defence) showed that the situation was under control to a great extent.
The NCCD, which was headed by Lt. General Malik bin Suleiman Al Ma’amari, inspector general of police and customs, met on Saturday and discussed the challenged ahead of them. The meeting was open to the media.
The evaluation revealed that the 139 relief centres hosted (took care) around 67,120 people. There are currently five centres in Muscat containing 3,150 people.
Meanwhile, Darwish bin Isamil Al Balushi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Finance, noted that they received donations to the tune of RO14,000,000 (as of Saturday) from residents through the banks.
Lt. General Malik Al Ma’amari told the media that Quriyat was the most difficult areas to work on included Quriyat and Al Amerat. These two areas, continued to be their focus. Quriyat has still no water connection and the only water that is being received there is through water tankers.
He also dismissed rumours of another impending storm.
We carry here a small report.
MUSCAT – Oman suffered more than RO1.25billion loss due to cyclone Gonu, which ravaged the country early this month.
The Ministry of National Economy announced on Saturday that the initial evaluation of the volume of damage caused by the cyclone was estimated between RO1.25 billion and RO1.5 billion. The ministry officials noted that the damage to the infrastructure alone might amount to RO1 billion.
The estimation and evaluation announced by the NCCD (National Committee for Civil Defence) showed that the situation was under control to a great extent.
The NCCD, which was headed by Lt. General Malik bin Suleiman Al Ma’amari, inspector general of police and customs, met on Saturday and discussed the challenged ahead of them. The meeting was open to the media.
The evaluation revealed that the 139 relief centres hosted (took care) around 67,120 people. There are currently five centres in Muscat containing 3,150 people.
Meanwhile, Darwish bin Isamil Al Balushi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Finance, noted that they received donations to the tune of RO14,000,000 (as of Saturday) from residents through the banks.
Lt. General Malik Al Ma’amari told the media that Quriyat was the most difficult areas to work on included Quriyat and Al Amerat. These two areas, continued to be their focus. Quriyat has still no water connection and the only water that is being received there is through water tankers.
He also dismissed rumours of another impending storm.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Gonu-newsfeeds-June 12, 2007
We have two reports here. A man was wrongly put on the list of dead Indians, but the anomaly was swiftly corrected. The other is a report by Oman Tribune.
I
MUSCAT – A man on the Gonu dead list has come back from the ‘grave’. A Punjabi (Indian), Prempal Singh, who was declared dead, suddenly came back to ‘life’. Singh, hearing that his name was on the list of the unfortunate victims of the cyclone Gonu, which devastated several parts of Oman, last week, quickly corrected the anomaly.He called up the Indian Embassy and declared that he was very much alive, Indian Embassy sources, said yesterday.A total of six Indians are confirmed dead.An equal number are missing, Indian Embassy officials said.“So far six Indians are confirmed dead. We have found six bodies so far,” J. Tripathi, the charge d’ affairs, Indian Embassy said. Out of the six, one is a female. Tripathi said that body of Shobana Sharma a nurse from Pune, was found on Monday in the Rusail area. The others are Prithvi Pal Singh from Punjab, Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala and Sarawana Kumar Bilai (Rajasthan), Prakash from Mysore in Karnataka and Pokkan Sreenu, (from East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh).The bodies of Prithvi Pal Singh of Punjab and Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala were found on Sunday.Anil Kumar's body was found in a highly decomposed state and therefore his remanins were cremated in Oman. Earlier, reports quoted Indian Minister of State for External Affairs minister, E. Ahamed, as of saying that he and the Indian Embassy officials have spoken to the father of Anil Kumar and conveyed this sad message.Reports noted that the families of both the Punjabis are settled in Muscat. The Indian government also decided to waive for a month the charge of RO30 for duplicate passports. "Many people have lost their passports and so we have decided to waive of the charges for a month," Ahamed had said in India. Those who are missing include Sajit Kumar (Calicut, Kerala), Udayan (Guruvayur, Kerala), Sami (Andhra Pradesh), Mohammed Ali and Binu (both from Ernakulam, Kerala). The name of another missing person from Punjab is not yet known. Two other Indians -- Dharmarajan and Mohammed Abdul Rahim - both from Andhra Pradesh, were injured in the storm, reports said.
II
MUSCAT – Oil installations and fields in the Sultanate were not affected by Cyclone Gonu, according to Dr Mohammed bin Hammad Al Romhi, oil and gas minister.“They have been functioning normally,” the minister said.Even the oil exports were stopped only on Wednesday and Thursday, as a result of the cyclone, and they were resumed on Friday. “The situation is back to normal.”The minister told Oman Tribune that the pipelines were not affected by the cyclone. Only Al Ansab gas pipeline was affected, which again was repaired in 68 hours, he said.Neither was the operations of Oman Oil Refinery affected, nor was there any damage to its facilities. The fuel production is back in full swing. Sohar Refinery was also supplying gas to electricity stations.To a query on the short supply of fuel, as was reported in some sections of the market, the minister said: Fuel was available, but there were some cases where the fuel marketing companies were not able to supply fuel because the roads to some areas were damaged.
I
MUSCAT – A man on the Gonu dead list has come back from the ‘grave’. A Punjabi (Indian), Prempal Singh, who was declared dead, suddenly came back to ‘life’. Singh, hearing that his name was on the list of the unfortunate victims of the cyclone Gonu, which devastated several parts of Oman, last week, quickly corrected the anomaly.He called up the Indian Embassy and declared that he was very much alive, Indian Embassy sources, said yesterday.A total of six Indians are confirmed dead.An equal number are missing, Indian Embassy officials said.“So far six Indians are confirmed dead. We have found six bodies so far,” J. Tripathi, the charge d’ affairs, Indian Embassy said. Out of the six, one is a female. Tripathi said that body of Shobana Sharma a nurse from Pune, was found on Monday in the Rusail area. The others are Prithvi Pal Singh from Punjab, Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala and Sarawana Kumar Bilai (Rajasthan), Prakash from Mysore in Karnataka and Pokkan Sreenu, (from East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh).The bodies of Prithvi Pal Singh of Punjab and Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala were found on Sunday.Anil Kumar's body was found in a highly decomposed state and therefore his remanins were cremated in Oman. Earlier, reports quoted Indian Minister of State for External Affairs minister, E. Ahamed, as of saying that he and the Indian Embassy officials have spoken to the father of Anil Kumar and conveyed this sad message.Reports noted that the families of both the Punjabis are settled in Muscat. The Indian government also decided to waive for a month the charge of RO30 for duplicate passports. "Many people have lost their passports and so we have decided to waive of the charges for a month," Ahamed had said in India. Those who are missing include Sajit Kumar (Calicut, Kerala), Udayan (Guruvayur, Kerala), Sami (Andhra Pradesh), Mohammed Ali and Binu (both from Ernakulam, Kerala). The name of another missing person from Punjab is not yet known. Two other Indians -- Dharmarajan and Mohammed Abdul Rahim - both from Andhra Pradesh, were injured in the storm, reports said.
II
MUSCAT – Oil installations and fields in the Sultanate were not affected by Cyclone Gonu, according to Dr Mohammed bin Hammad Al Romhi, oil and gas minister.“They have been functioning normally,” the minister said.Even the oil exports were stopped only on Wednesday and Thursday, as a result of the cyclone, and they were resumed on Friday. “The situation is back to normal.”The minister told Oman Tribune that the pipelines were not affected by the cyclone. Only Al Ansab gas pipeline was affected, which again was repaired in 68 hours, he said.Neither was the operations of Oman Oil Refinery affected, nor was there any damage to its facilities. The fuel production is back in full swing. Sohar Refinery was also supplying gas to electricity stations.To a query on the short supply of fuel, as was reported in some sections of the market, the minister said: Fuel was available, but there were some cases where the fuel marketing companies were not able to supply fuel because the roads to some areas were damaged.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Gonu-newsfeeds, June 11, 2007
Read all about the royal directives and the royal concern for those affected by Cyclone Gonu in Oman.
This just came in:
MUSCAT – A fund in aid of those affected by cyclone Gonu was created upon the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman, yesterday.
The fund, which was created with an initial donation of RO7million, is open to all.
His Majesty, the Sultan, also gave directives to form two committees, one to evaluate, and the other, to repair, the damages caused to the country’s infrastructure by cyclone Gonu.
The directives where given when His Majesty, the Sultan presided over the meeting of the council of ministers yesterday.
The first committee, will be chaired by the minister of the Royal Court, and will evaluate the damages to the citizen’s houses and properties.
The second committee, will be chaired by the minister of national economy, who is also the deputy chairman of the financial affairs and energy resources council.
This committee is entrusted with the task of repairing the infrastructure, namely roads, bridges, electricity power connections, water and all other services affected, taking into consideration such circumstances when reconstruction starts.
Applauding the efforts of all those who have united for the cause of alleviate the suffering of those affected by the cyclone, His Majesty the Sultan stressed that the safety of the citizens and residents in the Sultanate is a “top priority”. He also noted that all efforts by the military and civil bodies would be duly honoured.
He also urged everyone to continue in their efforts to bring the country back to normal.
This just came in:
MUSCAT – A fund in aid of those affected by cyclone Gonu was created upon the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman, yesterday.
The fund, which was created with an initial donation of RO7million, is open to all.
His Majesty, the Sultan, also gave directives to form two committees, one to evaluate, and the other, to repair, the damages caused to the country’s infrastructure by cyclone Gonu.
The directives where given when His Majesty, the Sultan presided over the meeting of the council of ministers yesterday.
The first committee, will be chaired by the minister of the Royal Court, and will evaluate the damages to the citizen’s houses and properties.
The second committee, will be chaired by the minister of national economy, who is also the deputy chairman of the financial affairs and energy resources council.
This committee is entrusted with the task of repairing the infrastructure, namely roads, bridges, electricity power connections, water and all other services affected, taking into consideration such circumstances when reconstruction starts.
Applauding the efforts of all those who have united for the cause of alleviate the suffering of those affected by the cyclone, His Majesty the Sultan stressed that the safety of the citizens and residents in the Sultanate is a “top priority”. He also noted that all efforts by the military and civil bodies would be duly honoured.
He also urged everyone to continue in their efforts to bring the country back to normal.
Gonu-newsfeeds, June 11, 2007
Hi, these are some general reports on the Gonu aftermath.
The local media has some indepth coverage on the post-Gonu situation.
Check this out!
Over $1 billion losses
MUSCAT – Oman could face losses over $1billion following the devastation caused by Cyclone Gonu, officials said.
Reports quoting analysts added that the brunt of this damage may have to borne by insurance firms.
But, the head of a top insurance firm in Oman, yesterday noted that it was too premature to come to any conclusions on the loss estimates as yet.
Dr J Retnakumar, Resident Manager (Oman Operations) of the New India Assurance Co Ltd (NIA), said: “I guess it is too premature to come to any such sweeping conclusion. Since the assessment part is not yet over, I would call this only a rough estimate. There is still mud and sleet everywhere. The cleaning operations are still continuing, so let us wait for another two to three days before we give a loss estimate. You never know, it could be even more than that.”
The Capital Market Authority (CMA), which is the market regulator for the insurance industry, met with top officials of insurance companies in the Sultanate on Sunday. They were asked to speedily process Gonu-related claims.
Insurance firm officials noted that they were already flooded with “all type of claims”. “We have already obtained over 200 non-motor claims,” Dr Retnakumar said.
Deepak Kamath, Country Manager — AXA Oman said that they have received close to 200 claims, and said that they expected 300-400 motor insurance claims, and another 100 other claims arising out of Gonu.
Dr Retnakumar noted that owners of flood-damaged cars without insurance cover for Storm, Tempest and Flood (STF) perils, will not be able to recoup costs from their insurers. Cars with third-party coverage are not STF insured and thus not eligible to submit claims for flood damage. Neither can owners with comprehensive coverage who did not include additional STF coverage in their policy.
Royal & SunAlliance (RASA) noted that their company completed more than 40 surveys, with interim claims payments ready to be paid out to some of the worst affected clients, RASA said in a statement.
“The RASA team has been working ceaselessly since the cyclone in ensuring that they are now ready to service their clients who have suffered the unfortunate destructive force of Gonu. Besides setting up special helpline numbers and creating a web-based claim intimation process, RASA has created a special help desk at the office to specifically handle all claims with respect to Gonu.
”We have reassigned internal resources to provide additional staff to service customers. Also done is a syndication of additional loss adjusters on an exclusive basis. RASA has also flown in loss adjusters from other parts of the world (UK, UAE) to help conduct speedy loss surveys,” the statement added.
“Much of the damage is concentrated in the capital region, an area that also provides a significant proportion of the insurers' business. Consequently, insurers across-the-board are liable to pay out hefty claims, with bigger firms likely to the worse off than the smaller ones. But with reinsurers picking up much of the tab, the net loss to local insurance firms is not expected to be considerable,” the Oman Daily Observer, said quoting analysts.
Meanwhile, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) has sent a circular to all public stock companies listed in Muscat Securities Market (MSM) asking them to promptly declare damages caused by the cyclone. Abdullah bin Salim al Salmi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for monitoring affairs at the CMA, stated that the authority has asked all stock companies enlisted with MSM and which sustained any damages due to the cyclone should promptly declare the same and their effect on the companies' financial positions in general as also any insurance coverage for them through MSM information centre or other means.
The declaration stems from the keenness to furnish investors with adequate and on time information to enable them to take scientific-based investment decisions, as stressed by CMA declaration's rules and conditions.
The Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and Oman Mobile Communications Company (OmanMobile) also noted that they were sparing no effort to restore both fixed and mobile telephony to various regions of the Sultanate as they were before the cyclone.
Dr Mohammed bin Ali Al Wahaibi, Omantel Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of OmanMobile stressed that the companies are playing a major role in preserving the safety of the communications sector in country under such natural conditions. He said the company mobilised more that 400 engineers and communication technicians to work round the clock to restore the service to areas devastated by the cyclone
Meanwhile, water supplies have been restored to a number of regions in the Governorate of Muscat which were affected by the tropical cyclone Gonu over the past days, the Oman News Agency said.
Water supplies have returned to Qurum, Shatti Al Qurum, Madinat A'Sultan Qaboos, Northern Athaiba, Ghubrah and parts of Al Khuwair area.
There are no reports of British casualties in Oman, the British Embassy in Oman said.
British nationals who continue to require consular assistance can contact the Embassy on 24609000 during office hours (0730-1430). The out-of-hours emergency number is 99200865 (1430 - 0730). British passport production at the Embassy has been disrupted. The Embassy hopes to resume a normal service as soon as possible. British nationals who have lost their passports should report the loss to the Royal Oman Police as soon as possible.
Ambassador Dr Noel Guckian said: “The staff of the Embassy send our sympathies to all members of the British, Omani and wider community affected by cyclone Gonu. We very much hope that we are all back to normal soon. We have been very impressed by the community spirit shown by all at this difficult time. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the emergency authorities on their efforts to bring the area back to normal as soon as possible. My staff and I stand ready to help in any way we can.” Further Embassy advice is available at www.britishembassy.gov.uk/oman and www.fco.gov.uk (under ‘Travel Advice’).
The American embassy said that American citizens residing or traveling in Oman are advised to limit travel as much as possible during the immediate recovery from Cyclone Gonu.
“American citizens should continue to monitor local media reports for relevant guidance issued by the government of Oman. It is recommended that individuals continue to avoid beaches, coastal areas, lowlands, wadis, and streams. Citizens are also advised to exercise caution on the roads, some of which experienced considerable damage,” a notification said.
American citizens should call the Embassy if they have an emergency situation. Americans and others are also requested to contact the Embassy if they know of Americans in emergency situations. The Embassy’s phone number is (968) 2469-8989 during working hours (Saturday through Wednesday, 8:00 a.m.to 4:30 p.m.) After working hours, or if the Embassy is closed, please contact the Embassy at (968) 2469-9049.
Americans living or traveling in Oman are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Muscat. Registration with Embassies/Consulates is available at www.travel.state.gov under “International Travel for U.S. Citizens,” the notification said.
Americans without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy in Muscat. Registration ensures that you receive warden messages and other updates and helps Consular officers to provide information and other assistance.
Meanwhile, India’s national carrier, Indian, said that it hoped to clear by Monday the backlog of passengers stranded in Muscat since last week’s cyclonic storm. According to a senior airline official, a series of additional flights operated by Indian have helped considerably reduce the backlog, with the last lot of stranded passengers likely to depart for Indian destinations by today. More than 1,000 passengers have had to endure long delays on account of flights cancellations prompted by last week’s storm.
Abhay Pathak, Regional Manager — Gulf, arrived in Muscat on Sunday to supervise the smooth and early departure of the stranded passengers.
Pathak told the media in Oman that they operated two extra flights to Calicut and Cochin on Saturday, while another extra flight, a wide-bodied Airbus A300, was due to be operated to Mumbai yesterday. “With these extra flights, coming on top of the scheduled flights, we hope to clear the backlog of passengers by (Monday).
These additional flights were arranged purely as a service to the stranded passengers and not with any major commercial objective in mind. Arranging for extra flights has been a major challenge because it is currently the peak season. Besides, resources and pilots are limited. Yet, we somehow did manage to lay on additional flights purely to serve our customers,” Pathak said. Tropical cyclone Gonu, according to the official, also had an impact on services to the wider Gulf region.
“We had to cancel 14 flights to Dubai and Sharjah when Gonu struck last Wednesday because overflights over Oman were not possible during the storm.” Indian operates a total of 125 flights per week out of the Gulf, including 85 from the UAE. From Muscat, the national carrier of India operates 14 flights per week.
The airline has launched direct flights to Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, and hopes to expand its service when new aircraft are inducted into the fleet.
Six Indians dead
MUSCAT – A total of six Indians are confirmed dead in the devastating cyclone that hit Oman last week. An equal number are missing, Indian Embassy officials said yesterday.
“So far six Indians are confirmed dead. We have found six bodies so far,” J. Tripathi, the charge d’ affairs, Indian Embassy said.
Out of the six, one is a female. “The body of Shobana, from Pune, was found today,” Tripathi said.
The others are Prithvi Pal Singh, Prempal Singh (both from Punjab), Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala and Sarawana Kumar Bilai (Rajasthan), Prakash from Mysore in Karnataka and Pokkan Sreenu, (from East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh).
The bodies of Prithvi Pal Singh of Punjab and Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala were found on Sunday.
Anil Kumar's body was found in a highly decomposed state and therefore his remanins were cremated in Oman. Earlier, reports quoted Indian Minister of State for External Affairs minister, E. Ahamed, as of saying that he and the Indian Embassy officials have spoken to the father of Anil Kumar and conveyed this sad message.
Reports noted that the families of both the Punjabis are settled in Muscat.
The Indian government also decided to waive for a month the charge of RO30 for duplicate passports.
"Many people have lost their passports and so we have decided to waive of the charges for a month," Ahamed had said in India.
Those who are missing include Sajit Kumar (Calicut, Kerala), Udayan (Guruvayur, Kerala), Sami (Andhra Pradesh), Mohammed Ali and Binu (both from Ernakulam, Kerala).
The name of another missing person from Punjab is not yet known.
Two other Indians -- Dharmarajan and Mohammed Abdul Rahim - both from Andhra Pradesh, were injured in the storm, reports said.
The local media has some indepth coverage on the post-Gonu situation.
Check this out!
Over $1 billion losses
MUSCAT – Oman could face losses over $1billion following the devastation caused by Cyclone Gonu, officials said.
Reports quoting analysts added that the brunt of this damage may have to borne by insurance firms.
But, the head of a top insurance firm in Oman, yesterday noted that it was too premature to come to any conclusions on the loss estimates as yet.
Dr J Retnakumar, Resident Manager (Oman Operations) of the New India Assurance Co Ltd (NIA), said: “I guess it is too premature to come to any such sweeping conclusion. Since the assessment part is not yet over, I would call this only a rough estimate. There is still mud and sleet everywhere. The cleaning operations are still continuing, so let us wait for another two to three days before we give a loss estimate. You never know, it could be even more than that.”
The Capital Market Authority (CMA), which is the market regulator for the insurance industry, met with top officials of insurance companies in the Sultanate on Sunday. They were asked to speedily process Gonu-related claims.
Insurance firm officials noted that they were already flooded with “all type of claims”. “We have already obtained over 200 non-motor claims,” Dr Retnakumar said.
Deepak Kamath, Country Manager — AXA Oman said that they have received close to 200 claims, and said that they expected 300-400 motor insurance claims, and another 100 other claims arising out of Gonu.
Dr Retnakumar noted that owners of flood-damaged cars without insurance cover for Storm, Tempest and Flood (STF) perils, will not be able to recoup costs from their insurers. Cars with third-party coverage are not STF insured and thus not eligible to submit claims for flood damage. Neither can owners with comprehensive coverage who did not include additional STF coverage in their policy.
Royal & SunAlliance (RASA) noted that their company completed more than 40 surveys, with interim claims payments ready to be paid out to some of the worst affected clients, RASA said in a statement.
“The RASA team has been working ceaselessly since the cyclone in ensuring that they are now ready to service their clients who have suffered the unfortunate destructive force of Gonu. Besides setting up special helpline numbers and creating a web-based claim intimation process, RASA has created a special help desk at the office to specifically handle all claims with respect to Gonu.
”We have reassigned internal resources to provide additional staff to service customers. Also done is a syndication of additional loss adjusters on an exclusive basis. RASA has also flown in loss adjusters from other parts of the world (UK, UAE) to help conduct speedy loss surveys,” the statement added.
“Much of the damage is concentrated in the capital region, an area that also provides a significant proportion of the insurers' business. Consequently, insurers across-the-board are liable to pay out hefty claims, with bigger firms likely to the worse off than the smaller ones. But with reinsurers picking up much of the tab, the net loss to local insurance firms is not expected to be considerable,” the Oman Daily Observer, said quoting analysts.
Meanwhile, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) has sent a circular to all public stock companies listed in Muscat Securities Market (MSM) asking them to promptly declare damages caused by the cyclone. Abdullah bin Salim al Salmi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for monitoring affairs at the CMA, stated that the authority has asked all stock companies enlisted with MSM and which sustained any damages due to the cyclone should promptly declare the same and their effect on the companies' financial positions in general as also any insurance coverage for them through MSM information centre or other means.
The declaration stems from the keenness to furnish investors with adequate and on time information to enable them to take scientific-based investment decisions, as stressed by CMA declaration's rules and conditions.
The Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and Oman Mobile Communications Company (OmanMobile) also noted that they were sparing no effort to restore both fixed and mobile telephony to various regions of the Sultanate as they were before the cyclone.
Dr Mohammed bin Ali Al Wahaibi, Omantel Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of OmanMobile stressed that the companies are playing a major role in preserving the safety of the communications sector in country under such natural conditions. He said the company mobilised more that 400 engineers and communication technicians to work round the clock to restore the service to areas devastated by the cyclone
Meanwhile, water supplies have been restored to a number of regions in the Governorate of Muscat which were affected by the tropical cyclone Gonu over the past days, the Oman News Agency said.
Water supplies have returned to Qurum, Shatti Al Qurum, Madinat A'Sultan Qaboos, Northern Athaiba, Ghubrah and parts of Al Khuwair area.
There are no reports of British casualties in Oman, the British Embassy in Oman said.
British nationals who continue to require consular assistance can contact the Embassy on 24609000 during office hours (0730-1430). The out-of-hours emergency number is 99200865 (1430 - 0730). British passport production at the Embassy has been disrupted. The Embassy hopes to resume a normal service as soon as possible. British nationals who have lost their passports should report the loss to the Royal Oman Police as soon as possible.
Ambassador Dr Noel Guckian said: “The staff of the Embassy send our sympathies to all members of the British, Omani and wider community affected by cyclone Gonu. We very much hope that we are all back to normal soon. We have been very impressed by the community spirit shown by all at this difficult time. I would also like to take this opportunity to commend the emergency authorities on their efforts to bring the area back to normal as soon as possible. My staff and I stand ready to help in any way we can.” Further Embassy advice is available at www.britishembassy.gov.uk/oman and www.fco.gov.uk (under ‘Travel Advice’).
The American embassy said that American citizens residing or traveling in Oman are advised to limit travel as much as possible during the immediate recovery from Cyclone Gonu.
“American citizens should continue to monitor local media reports for relevant guidance issued by the government of Oman. It is recommended that individuals continue to avoid beaches, coastal areas, lowlands, wadis, and streams. Citizens are also advised to exercise caution on the roads, some of which experienced considerable damage,” a notification said.
American citizens should call the Embassy if they have an emergency situation. Americans and others are also requested to contact the Embassy if they know of Americans in emergency situations. The Embassy’s phone number is (968) 2469-8989 during working hours (Saturday through Wednesday, 8:00 a.m.to 4:30 p.m.) After working hours, or if the Embassy is closed, please contact the Embassy at (968) 2469-9049.
Americans living or traveling in Oman are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Muscat. Registration with Embassies/Consulates is available at www.travel.state.gov under “International Travel for U.S. Citizens,” the notification said.
Americans without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy in Muscat. Registration ensures that you receive warden messages and other updates and helps Consular officers to provide information and other assistance.
Meanwhile, India’s national carrier, Indian, said that it hoped to clear by Monday the backlog of passengers stranded in Muscat since last week’s cyclonic storm. According to a senior airline official, a series of additional flights operated by Indian have helped considerably reduce the backlog, with the last lot of stranded passengers likely to depart for Indian destinations by today. More than 1,000 passengers have had to endure long delays on account of flights cancellations prompted by last week’s storm.
Abhay Pathak, Regional Manager — Gulf, arrived in Muscat on Sunday to supervise the smooth and early departure of the stranded passengers.
Pathak told the media in Oman that they operated two extra flights to Calicut and Cochin on Saturday, while another extra flight, a wide-bodied Airbus A300, was due to be operated to Mumbai yesterday. “With these extra flights, coming on top of the scheduled flights, we hope to clear the backlog of passengers by (Monday).
These additional flights were arranged purely as a service to the stranded passengers and not with any major commercial objective in mind. Arranging for extra flights has been a major challenge because it is currently the peak season. Besides, resources and pilots are limited. Yet, we somehow did manage to lay on additional flights purely to serve our customers,” Pathak said. Tropical cyclone Gonu, according to the official, also had an impact on services to the wider Gulf region.
“We had to cancel 14 flights to Dubai and Sharjah when Gonu struck last Wednesday because overflights over Oman were not possible during the storm.” Indian operates a total of 125 flights per week out of the Gulf, including 85 from the UAE. From Muscat, the national carrier of India operates 14 flights per week.
The airline has launched direct flights to Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, and hopes to expand its service when new aircraft are inducted into the fleet.
Six Indians dead
MUSCAT – A total of six Indians are confirmed dead in the devastating cyclone that hit Oman last week. An equal number are missing, Indian Embassy officials said yesterday.
“So far six Indians are confirmed dead. We have found six bodies so far,” J. Tripathi, the charge d’ affairs, Indian Embassy said.
Out of the six, one is a female. “The body of Shobana, from Pune, was found today,” Tripathi said.
The others are Prithvi Pal Singh, Prempal Singh (both from Punjab), Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala and Sarawana Kumar Bilai (Rajasthan), Prakash from Mysore in Karnataka and Pokkan Sreenu, (from East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh).
The bodies of Prithvi Pal Singh of Punjab and Anil Kumar of Ottapalam at Palakkad in Kerala were found on Sunday.
Anil Kumar's body was found in a highly decomposed state and therefore his remanins were cremated in Oman. Earlier, reports quoted Indian Minister of State for External Affairs minister, E. Ahamed, as of saying that he and the Indian Embassy officials have spoken to the father of Anil Kumar and conveyed this sad message.
Reports noted that the families of both the Punjabis are settled in Muscat.
The Indian government also decided to waive for a month the charge of RO30 for duplicate passports.
"Many people have lost their passports and so we have decided to waive of the charges for a month," Ahamed had said in India.
Those who are missing include Sajit Kumar (Calicut, Kerala), Udayan (Guruvayur, Kerala), Sami (Andhra Pradesh), Mohammed Ali and Binu (both from Ernakulam, Kerala).
The name of another missing person from Punjab is not yet known.
Two other Indians -- Dharmarajan and Mohammed Abdul Rahim - both from Andhra Pradesh, were injured in the storm, reports said.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Message from an Al Ghubra resident
Hey, read what Dr Prema Seshadri, an active member of the Art of Living (AoL) in Oman, has to
say about Cyclone Gonu. Dr Prema resides in Muscat, or more precisely, in Al Ghubra, an area, which has been severely affected by the storm.
Read Dr Prema's thoughts on this storm.
Dear All,
The real magnitude of the impact of Cyclone Gonu can neither be expressed in words nor pictures. As a resident of probably one of the worst hit areas, Ghoubra, we can vouch for a tale of destruction that one has till now only seen on television or read in the media. We have just got back power and a reluctant but steadily improving telecommunication facility after having gone through the horrors of a blackout which hit us at the same time the storm and the floods hit us. IWe stood at the window of my room watching the muddy wadi waters deceptively make its first foray down the road when all of a sudden it was joined by floods from two other directions and erupted into a nightmare! Within seconds the flood from three directions battered against our corner villa and poured in through every nook and cranny. Soon we had waist high water inside my house. As it started creeping up the steps to our first floor where all of us - men and animals - had sheltered, we were ready to redefine the very concept of nightmare and helplessness. As the filthy waters rose in our house, we felt strangely violated. Then came the feeling of resignation. We were too numbed to be angry. And we felt too helpless to be useful. It marked the beginning of three days of living life the way the cavemen did! Its just that we had no caves to draw our history!
But the tragedy brought with it a sense of camaraderie, a one-ness, a belongingness, and pure unconditional service. Throughout the days and evenings, we have seen and continue to see Omani youth motor down the ravaged roads distributing relief...there is no tom-tomming, no one-upmanship, no sense of dooership...they were there to reach out to us any which they could. The army have been amazing too, tirelessly distributing much-needed water. I salute these people of this land.
I walk around the neighborhood every evening. For somebody who loves to tell a story, I feel too bereft to narrate the horror that I witness every evening. The tension, the loss, the tiredness, the residual fear that have drawn deep scars on the faces of the people of this neighborhood cannot be scripted or photographed. We stand or sit with them for a few minutes and realize they are too afraid even to meet the eye in case they are confronted by the fear they feel. We know of families who have lost their kith and kin. We know groups of people who thought they had weathered the storm only to perish as they came down from their so-called safe perch. We know people who are still looking lost because they have lost what they have associated themselves with for the last couple of decades. No, pictures of smashed cars do not do justice to the tragedy that Gonu unleashed on the citizens of Oman. No, Gonu did not just veer away leaving the people untouched and unharmed. The pain and tragedy of this last week is going to leave an indelible mark on the psyches of the people for a long long time to come.
But what we will also remember is the help and support and comfort that have come from so many people these last four days. Bob and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you out there who have kept us strong and smiling.
With love and gratitude,
Prema and Bob
say about Cyclone Gonu. Dr Prema resides in Muscat, or more precisely, in Al Ghubra, an area, which has been severely affected by the storm.
Read Dr Prema's thoughts on this storm.
Dear All,
The real magnitude of the impact of Cyclone Gonu can neither be expressed in words nor pictures. As a resident of probably one of the worst hit areas, Ghoubra, we can vouch for a tale of destruction that one has till now only seen on television or read in the media. We have just got back power and a reluctant but steadily improving telecommunication facility after having gone through the horrors of a blackout which hit us at the same time the storm and the floods hit us. IWe stood at the window of my room watching the muddy wadi waters deceptively make its first foray down the road when all of a sudden it was joined by floods from two other directions and erupted into a nightmare! Within seconds the flood from three directions battered against our corner villa and poured in through every nook and cranny. Soon we had waist high water inside my house. As it started creeping up the steps to our first floor where all of us - men and animals - had sheltered, we were ready to redefine the very concept of nightmare and helplessness. As the filthy waters rose in our house, we felt strangely violated. Then came the feeling of resignation. We were too numbed to be angry. And we felt too helpless to be useful. It marked the beginning of three days of living life the way the cavemen did! Its just that we had no caves to draw our history!
But the tragedy brought with it a sense of camaraderie, a one-ness, a belongingness, and pure unconditional service. Throughout the days and evenings, we have seen and continue to see Omani youth motor down the ravaged roads distributing relief...there is no tom-tomming, no one-upmanship, no sense of dooership...they were there to reach out to us any which they could. The army have been amazing too, tirelessly distributing much-needed water. I salute these people of this land.
I walk around the neighborhood every evening. For somebody who loves to tell a story, I feel too bereft to narrate the horror that I witness every evening. The tension, the loss, the tiredness, the residual fear that have drawn deep scars on the faces of the people of this neighborhood cannot be scripted or photographed. We stand or sit with them for a few minutes and realize they are too afraid even to meet the eye in case they are confronted by the fear they feel. We know of families who have lost their kith and kin. We know groups of people who thought they had weathered the storm only to perish as they came down from their so-called safe perch. We know people who are still looking lost because they have lost what they have associated themselves with for the last couple of decades. No, pictures of smashed cars do not do justice to the tragedy that Gonu unleashed on the citizens of Oman. No, Gonu did not just veer away leaving the people untouched and unharmed. The pain and tragedy of this last week is going to leave an indelible mark on the psyches of the people for a long long time to come.
But what we will also remember is the help and support and comfort that have come from so many people these last four days. Bob and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you out there who have kept us strong and smiling.
With love and gratitude,
Prema and Bob
Gonu-newsfeeds-fifth day, June 10, 2007
Report 1
MUSCAT – Did an Indian fortune-teller predict the advent of the recent cyclone Gonu in Oman? Apparently, a soothsayer had predicted that the posh Qurum area was going to be under lot of water much before Gonu hit Oman.The identity of the astrologer is not known, but early last month, the story doing the rounds was that a soothsayer had made a prediction that Qurum was going to be under water. Additionally, reports also noted that a tsunami was to hit Qurum last month. The news spread like wildfire and gained momentum when reports of unstable weather added fuel to this rumour ‘storm’. There were even several postings in a popular local, English website, Oman Forum, on this issue. However, scientists rubbished the rumours and called it a figment of someone’s imagination.Dr Barry Jupp, Oman’s senior marine scientist, had then told an English daily in the Gulf that the rumour was not only “rubbish”, there was no scientific evidence to support it.Although the weather did become unstable, nothing much happened after that and Qurum did not face any problems.But, then, Gonu happened and the soothsayer’s quasi-disaster prophecy suddenly seemed to come true, although it was a prediction that was way off the mark.
We spoke to a popular, Muscat-based Malayali astrologer, Mangatu Sashidharan Pillai, who noted that he had heard only rumours of the astrologer, but had no idea who that was, or whether the incident even occurred. “I have heard of this rumour. But nothing concrete. Indeed, good astrologers can predict such impending events. As per the astrological calculations, planetary changes do cause such events to arise. Based on the current planetary positions, we do see that there are and will be water-related problems around the world. “I do not want to make any specific comments on anything. But such changes are seen everywhere. It has been happening and it will continue to happen. Look at the situation in Kerala, where there are lot of health problems posed by water-borne diseases. It is all due to the change in the planetary positions.” According to Mangatuji, as he is fondly known, Saturn is a planet, which among other things, is a harbinger of unhappiness, sorrow, causing losses, disasters, etc. “Currently, Saturn is regressing, like a powerful vehicle reversing. It is now in the Karkataka, meaning in water. Karkataka rasi is owned by the moon. The moon (in the astrological sense) is again associated with water, the body and the mind. So, Saturn in the moon can create lot of natural calamities. And if we look at it objectively, we will find that there have been such happenings around the world, including earthquakes, water-borne illnesses and the like.”
Report 2
MUSCAT – The largest bank in Oman yesterday donated a large sum of money as financial aid to the cause of relief and other rehabilitation efforts in Oman, still reeling under the brunt of the cyclone Gonu attack. BankMuscat (SAOG), with assets worth over USD 8.5 billion, yesterday announced that they were donating a sum of RO3million for this cause. “One third of the amount would go to the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO). Two thirds of the amount would be donated to the ministry of social development,” a top official of the bank told the media yesterday morning.Sheikh Abdul Malik Abdullah al Khalili, chairman of BankMuscat yesterday added that the funds would be donated in 12 installments.Other banks in Oman are also planning to donate. In fact, the Gonu tragedy has evoked the spirit of charity among many people. Volunteers of all shapes, sizes and nationalities have risen to the cause and were coming to the fore to help those affected.
MUSCAT – Did an Indian fortune-teller predict the advent of the recent cyclone Gonu in Oman? Apparently, a soothsayer had predicted that the posh Qurum area was going to be under lot of water much before Gonu hit Oman.The identity of the astrologer is not known, but early last month, the story doing the rounds was that a soothsayer had made a prediction that Qurum was going to be under water. Additionally, reports also noted that a tsunami was to hit Qurum last month. The news spread like wildfire and gained momentum when reports of unstable weather added fuel to this rumour ‘storm’. There were even several postings in a popular local, English website, Oman Forum, on this issue. However, scientists rubbished the rumours and called it a figment of someone’s imagination.Dr Barry Jupp, Oman’s senior marine scientist, had then told an English daily in the Gulf that the rumour was not only “rubbish”, there was no scientific evidence to support it.Although the weather did become unstable, nothing much happened after that and Qurum did not face any problems.But, then, Gonu happened and the soothsayer’s quasi-disaster prophecy suddenly seemed to come true, although it was a prediction that was way off the mark.
We spoke to a popular, Muscat-based Malayali astrologer, Mangatu Sashidharan Pillai, who noted that he had heard only rumours of the astrologer, but had no idea who that was, or whether the incident even occurred. “I have heard of this rumour. But nothing concrete. Indeed, good astrologers can predict such impending events. As per the astrological calculations, planetary changes do cause such events to arise. Based on the current planetary positions, we do see that there are and will be water-related problems around the world. “I do not want to make any specific comments on anything. But such changes are seen everywhere. It has been happening and it will continue to happen. Look at the situation in Kerala, where there are lot of health problems posed by water-borne diseases. It is all due to the change in the planetary positions.” According to Mangatuji, as he is fondly known, Saturn is a planet, which among other things, is a harbinger of unhappiness, sorrow, causing losses, disasters, etc. “Currently, Saturn is regressing, like a powerful vehicle reversing. It is now in the Karkataka, meaning in water. Karkataka rasi is owned by the moon. The moon (in the astrological sense) is again associated with water, the body and the mind. So, Saturn in the moon can create lot of natural calamities. And if we look at it objectively, we will find that there have been such happenings around the world, including earthquakes, water-borne illnesses and the like.”
Report 2
MUSCAT – The largest bank in Oman yesterday donated a large sum of money as financial aid to the cause of relief and other rehabilitation efforts in Oman, still reeling under the brunt of the cyclone Gonu attack. BankMuscat (SAOG), with assets worth over USD 8.5 billion, yesterday announced that they were donating a sum of RO3million for this cause. “One third of the amount would go to the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO). Two thirds of the amount would be donated to the ministry of social development,” a top official of the bank told the media yesterday morning.Sheikh Abdul Malik Abdullah al Khalili, chairman of BankMuscat yesterday added that the funds would be donated in 12 installments.Other banks in Oman are also planning to donate. In fact, the Gonu tragedy has evoked the spirit of charity among many people. Volunteers of all shapes, sizes and nationalities have risen to the cause and were coming to the fore to help those affected.
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