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.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Gonu-newsfeeds, June 9, 2007
Hi, here we go again.
The Radio Sultanate of Oman has been doing a great job in the last 24 hours.
There has been a deluge of informative reports by their team. Thanks to them, here below is the third report for the day.
Admad
MUSCAT – Oman has, in the last 24 hours, made 240 airlifts providing food and other essentials to those in storm affected areas, and provided around 800 rescue and other missions, which was operated by the Royal Oman Airforce.
Brigadier Saud Al Habsi, assistant chief of staff for operations and planning of the Sultan’s Armed Forces told state radio (8.30pm) that these sorties were made to villages mainly in Quriyat, Sur and Wadi A’ Taiyeen, which were inaccessible by road.
In addition to this, the Sultanate’s authorities sent six ships with “all requirements” to wilayats in Quriyat. “Until now, six ships have been sent from Port Sultan Qaboos, and this will continue for the next 24 hours,” Brigadier Al Habsi said.
Relief efforts were continuing in full swing, and villages requiring major assistance were those located in jebels, and inaccessible by road.
The brigadier noted that the road to Quriyat was open and supplies were now being easily reached and a lot quicker than before. “Villages located in the jebels required many airlifts,” he said.
“The plan of action for the next two days was to continue their assistance to all other ministries and government organizations to open the roads to Quriyat and Wadi A’ Taiyeen and provide the villages there with necessary supplies.
The forces were working jointly with the national defence force’s committee and the ministry of housing and electricity and water to restore water supplies. “And this is going well. “Inshallah, I think, step by step, we will sort out this problem and restore the normal flow of life slowly, but surely,” Brigadier Habsi said.
The third desalination unit of the main Al Ghubrah desalination plant has begun operations and providing 11 to 18 million gallons of water to parched Seeb and surrounding areas, official reports said.
Salvage operations were also in full swing in many of the affected areas, reports added.
Meanwhile, the head of the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO), Ali Ibrahim Shenoon, has said that the charity has distributed 429 tons of foodstuff to those in need and they were continuing with their volunteer efforts.
Ends/Admad/Gonu-Oman-Fourth Day- third report
The Radio Sultanate of Oman has been doing a great job in the last 24 hours.
There has been a deluge of informative reports by their team. Thanks to them, here below is the third report for the day.
Admad
MUSCAT – Oman has, in the last 24 hours, made 240 airlifts providing food and other essentials to those in storm affected areas, and provided around 800 rescue and other missions, which was operated by the Royal Oman Airforce.
Brigadier Saud Al Habsi, assistant chief of staff for operations and planning of the Sultan’s Armed Forces told state radio (8.30pm) that these sorties were made to villages mainly in Quriyat, Sur and Wadi A’ Taiyeen, which were inaccessible by road.
In addition to this, the Sultanate’s authorities sent six ships with “all requirements” to wilayats in Quriyat. “Until now, six ships have been sent from Port Sultan Qaboos, and this will continue for the next 24 hours,” Brigadier Al Habsi said.
Relief efforts were continuing in full swing, and villages requiring major assistance were those located in jebels, and inaccessible by road.
The brigadier noted that the road to Quriyat was open and supplies were now being easily reached and a lot quicker than before. “Villages located in the jebels required many airlifts,” he said.
“The plan of action for the next two days was to continue their assistance to all other ministries and government organizations to open the roads to Quriyat and Wadi A’ Taiyeen and provide the villages there with necessary supplies.
The forces were working jointly with the national defence force’s committee and the ministry of housing and electricity and water to restore water supplies. “And this is going well. “Inshallah, I think, step by step, we will sort out this problem and restore the normal flow of life slowly, but surely,” Brigadier Habsi said.
The third desalination unit of the main Al Ghubrah desalination plant has begun operations and providing 11 to 18 million gallons of water to parched Seeb and surrounding areas, official reports said.
Salvage operations were also in full swing in many of the affected areas, reports added.
Meanwhile, the head of the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO), Ali Ibrahim Shenoon, has said that the charity has distributed 429 tons of foodstuff to those in need and they were continuing with their volunteer efforts.
Ends/Admad/Gonu-Oman-Fourth Day- third report
Gonu-newsfeeds, June 9, 2007
Hi, here are two reports on the fourth day post Gonu.
When will I ever learn to blog? I mean, really blog and not just post reports.
I am a slow learner, so let me learn, slowly...
Admad
Report 1:
MUSCAT – A senior Omani health official played down the fear of the outbreak of any diseases in the wake of cyclone Gonu in Oman. The ominous presence of pools of rain and wadi water in many areas, huge gatherings of evacuees in shelters pose possible health threats like water borne diseases, which could spread like wildfire in such crisis situations. But, Dr Ali bin Jaffer bin Suleiman, supervisor of the directorate general of health services, ministry of health (MoH) told state radio that there was no reason for such fear.Diseases like cholera, malaria, dengue fever, polio etc., were unlikely to occur in Oman, because enough precautions have been taken for the same. Moreover, these diseases have either been eradicated, controlled or contained for the last many years. Outbreaks of some of these diseases have not occurred for many years, the official stressed. “We have had no cases of cholera, save for one or two imported ones, for more than a decade. “Malaria has been eradicated since some time now. Moreover, malaria parasites are transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which do not exist in Oman. And similarly, there is no need of concern for dengue fever too,” he said.Although human congregations in shelters and water logging could bring in diseases like measles and other respiratory illnesses, thanks to proper medical coverage and immunisation measures, such fears can also be ruled out. “Thanks to the thousands of parents in Oman, we have around 99percent measles coverage, while polio is also eradicated,” Dr Ali Jaffer said, adding however, that precaution should be taken for diseases like diarrhea and other water borne diseases borne by consuming contaminated water.He urged the public not to drink wadi water. “Some people are doing that, and I don’t think that is a good idea as there are chances that the wadi water is contaminated now.”Due medical attention was provided for the elderly and otherwise medically indisposed segment of the public. Those who are unable to travel to the hospitals because of non existent roads and the like are being air lifted to hospitals. In excess of 30 such patients have been given medical services. Since some key roads to areas like Al Amerat and Quriyat are open, these patients are also obtaining medical support. He also noted all hospitals, even the ones that were shut temporarily, are fully operational. “Al Nahda Hospital in Wattayah was shut down for a day, but now it is operational. Both of the other main hospitals, Khoula and Royal (Hospital) are working to the full capacity.“Sur hospital was cut off, because of the lack of roads and communication, but since Friday, the hospital has been functioning.” Hospitals in the Sharqiyah region are also functioning and mobile clinics were also providing their services to the displaced public. “We have been prepared for the situation, so everything is under control,” he said.Meanwhile, the water worry still posed a problem for the public in the capital area. While officials reassured that supplied would be restored soon, an official revealed to the FM English Radio Sultanate of Oman that it would take at least 10 days for the water situation to be “completely normalized”. “We are working around the clock to restore water supplied and if things goes well, we might even bring the situation back to normal before 10 days,” the official said. However, water was being pumped from 20 bore wells and so areas like Seeb and Barka will be getting five million gallons and seven million gallons of water, respectively, from these wells. “We are hoping to get another pump organized. If we succeed, we will be getting close to 20 million gallons of water from Barka to Seeb area,” Engineer Said told the radio, adding that they would also be pumping water to the Bausher area. “Water was being rationed off in several areas already. On Friday night we provided the Qurum area, today (Saturday) we are providing to Bausher and then we will be pumping water to Wattayah, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir, Muscat and rotate it back to Bausher. “We have also supplied water to tanker water filling stations in many areas.”Meanwhile, provisions’ armed volunteers were in full swing, doing their bit to provide essential services to the displaced public. Ahmed Rayees, the Muscat-based son of the Indian minister of state for external affairs, E. Ahmed, yesterday said that they have targeted many areas, especially the hard hit area of Al Ghubrah and were providing relief. “We have managed to provide food and water to thousands of people. But, it is not enough. We are desperately trying to get drinking water supplies from Dubai and even from Sohar, but we have not been successful,” Rayees, who is also the president of the posh Indian School Al Ghubrah (ISG) and general manager of Al Dastoor Contracting in Muscat. He noted that there was virtually none in Al Ghubrah who was not affected in some form or the other. “Most of the ground floor areas of buildings in Al Ghubrah are destroyed. Many have several inches of slush and it is quite a task to get them removed.”He noted they have taken all measures to safeguard the several hundreds staff of the school ISG) they run. Volunteers of the Art of Living (AoL), and several ad-hoc Omani volunteer groups were also contributing their mite to this cause.While the AoL distributed food, blankets and other essential to the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO) on Friday, yesterday, they provided a truck load of water, an AoL Oman member, Rajiv Ahuja said.
Ends/Admad/Gonu - fourth day update
Report 2:
MUSCAT – Official reports yesterday maintained the same death toll figures as on Friday, following Cyclone Gonu in Oman.Officials of the storm ravaged country maintained that around 49 were dead and 27 missing, the same figures that they had unveiled on Friday.However, unofficial sources claimed that above 50 died and more than triple that number were missing or unaccounted so far. While there was no official means to corroborate that, a palpable fear lay among the people because they were unable to establish contact with many of their friends, acquaintances and fellow workers owing to the lack of communication in several areas. This is despite partial restoration in some cases and near complete restoration of the communication lines in the hard hit areas.Muscat is seen as the worst hit area, and several popular locales of the capital was virtually unrecognizable. Amongst the many disruptions, several school examinations for Omani students were postponed owing to the storm and post-storm related problems.Officials of the Ministry of Education (MoE) yesterday noted that they had postponed the examinations for Omani students in the Muscat governorate and Al Sharqiyah region.Exams of the Grades Vth to XIth (five to eleven) of the primary and general education schools and the Islamic, Cultural and Social Studies; history and geography exams of the Grade XII (twelve) in the governorate of Muscat and in the north Sharqiyah region were postponed until further notice. A MoE statement also noted that exams for Grade V to XI students in governorate of Dhofar, Buraimi, Musandam, north and south Batinah, Al Dhahirah, Al Dakhliyah, northern Sharqiyah and Al Wusta region will resume today (Sunday) as per the original schedule. Meanwhile, Oman’s council of ministers convened a special meeting yesterday (Saturday) to look into the extent of damage caused by the cyclone and the ways and means to deal with the Gonu aftermath. This meeting came as part of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s royal attention to his public and care for their welfare, a radio report said, adding that ruler of Oman was continuously monitoring the events following the storm and making sure that proper effort is being taken to restore normalcy in the storm ravaged country. Ends/Admad/Gonu/Fourth Day/IInd report
When will I ever learn to blog? I mean, really blog and not just post reports.
I am a slow learner, so let me learn, slowly...
Admad
Report 1:
MUSCAT – A senior Omani health official played down the fear of the outbreak of any diseases in the wake of cyclone Gonu in Oman. The ominous presence of pools of rain and wadi water in many areas, huge gatherings of evacuees in shelters pose possible health threats like water borne diseases, which could spread like wildfire in such crisis situations. But, Dr Ali bin Jaffer bin Suleiman, supervisor of the directorate general of health services, ministry of health (MoH) told state radio that there was no reason for such fear.Diseases like cholera, malaria, dengue fever, polio etc., were unlikely to occur in Oman, because enough precautions have been taken for the same. Moreover, these diseases have either been eradicated, controlled or contained for the last many years. Outbreaks of some of these diseases have not occurred for many years, the official stressed. “We have had no cases of cholera, save for one or two imported ones, for more than a decade. “Malaria has been eradicated since some time now. Moreover, malaria parasites are transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which do not exist in Oman. And similarly, there is no need of concern for dengue fever too,” he said.Although human congregations in shelters and water logging could bring in diseases like measles and other respiratory illnesses, thanks to proper medical coverage and immunisation measures, such fears can also be ruled out. “Thanks to the thousands of parents in Oman, we have around 99percent measles coverage, while polio is also eradicated,” Dr Ali Jaffer said, adding however, that precaution should be taken for diseases like diarrhea and other water borne diseases borne by consuming contaminated water.He urged the public not to drink wadi water. “Some people are doing that, and I don’t think that is a good idea as there are chances that the wadi water is contaminated now.”Due medical attention was provided for the elderly and otherwise medically indisposed segment of the public. Those who are unable to travel to the hospitals because of non existent roads and the like are being air lifted to hospitals. In excess of 30 such patients have been given medical services. Since some key roads to areas like Al Amerat and Quriyat are open, these patients are also obtaining medical support. He also noted all hospitals, even the ones that were shut temporarily, are fully operational. “Al Nahda Hospital in Wattayah was shut down for a day, but now it is operational. Both of the other main hospitals, Khoula and Royal (Hospital) are working to the full capacity.“Sur hospital was cut off, because of the lack of roads and communication, but since Friday, the hospital has been functioning.” Hospitals in the Sharqiyah region are also functioning and mobile clinics were also providing their services to the displaced public. “We have been prepared for the situation, so everything is under control,” he said.Meanwhile, the water worry still posed a problem for the public in the capital area. While officials reassured that supplied would be restored soon, an official revealed to the FM English Radio Sultanate of Oman that it would take at least 10 days for the water situation to be “completely normalized”. “We are working around the clock to restore water supplied and if things goes well, we might even bring the situation back to normal before 10 days,” the official said. However, water was being pumped from 20 bore wells and so areas like Seeb and Barka will be getting five million gallons and seven million gallons of water, respectively, from these wells. “We are hoping to get another pump organized. If we succeed, we will be getting close to 20 million gallons of water from Barka to Seeb area,” Engineer Said told the radio, adding that they would also be pumping water to the Bausher area. “Water was being rationed off in several areas already. On Friday night we provided the Qurum area, today (Saturday) we are providing to Bausher and then we will be pumping water to Wattayah, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir, Muscat and rotate it back to Bausher. “We have also supplied water to tanker water filling stations in many areas.”Meanwhile, provisions’ armed volunteers were in full swing, doing their bit to provide essential services to the displaced public. Ahmed Rayees, the Muscat-based son of the Indian minister of state for external affairs, E. Ahmed, yesterday said that they have targeted many areas, especially the hard hit area of Al Ghubrah and were providing relief. “We have managed to provide food and water to thousands of people. But, it is not enough. We are desperately trying to get drinking water supplies from Dubai and even from Sohar, but we have not been successful,” Rayees, who is also the president of the posh Indian School Al Ghubrah (ISG) and general manager of Al Dastoor Contracting in Muscat. He noted that there was virtually none in Al Ghubrah who was not affected in some form or the other. “Most of the ground floor areas of buildings in Al Ghubrah are destroyed. Many have several inches of slush and it is quite a task to get them removed.”He noted they have taken all measures to safeguard the several hundreds staff of the school ISG) they run. Volunteers of the Art of Living (AoL), and several ad-hoc Omani volunteer groups were also contributing their mite to this cause.While the AoL distributed food, blankets and other essential to the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO) on Friday, yesterday, they provided a truck load of water, an AoL Oman member, Rajiv Ahuja said.
Ends/Admad/Gonu - fourth day update
Report 2:
MUSCAT – Official reports yesterday maintained the same death toll figures as on Friday, following Cyclone Gonu in Oman.Officials of the storm ravaged country maintained that around 49 were dead and 27 missing, the same figures that they had unveiled on Friday.However, unofficial sources claimed that above 50 died and more than triple that number were missing or unaccounted so far. While there was no official means to corroborate that, a palpable fear lay among the people because they were unable to establish contact with many of their friends, acquaintances and fellow workers owing to the lack of communication in several areas. This is despite partial restoration in some cases and near complete restoration of the communication lines in the hard hit areas.Muscat is seen as the worst hit area, and several popular locales of the capital was virtually unrecognizable. Amongst the many disruptions, several school examinations for Omani students were postponed owing to the storm and post-storm related problems.Officials of the Ministry of Education (MoE) yesterday noted that they had postponed the examinations for Omani students in the Muscat governorate and Al Sharqiyah region.Exams of the Grades Vth to XIth (five to eleven) of the primary and general education schools and the Islamic, Cultural and Social Studies; history and geography exams of the Grade XII (twelve) in the governorate of Muscat and in the north Sharqiyah region were postponed until further notice. A MoE statement also noted that exams for Grade V to XI students in governorate of Dhofar, Buraimi, Musandam, north and south Batinah, Al Dhahirah, Al Dakhliyah, northern Sharqiyah and Al Wusta region will resume today (Sunday) as per the original schedule. Meanwhile, Oman’s council of ministers convened a special meeting yesterday (Saturday) to look into the extent of damage caused by the cyclone and the ways and means to deal with the Gonu aftermath. This meeting came as part of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s royal attention to his public and care for their welfare, a radio report said, adding that ruler of Oman was continuously monitoring the events following the storm and making sure that proper effort is being taken to restore normalcy in the storm ravaged country. Ends/Admad/Gonu/Fourth Day/IInd report
Friday, June 8, 2007
Gonu-newsfeeds, June 8, 2007
This is the third day's update, as usual in the form of a report. I am not blog friendly, so pardon my avarice in wanting to reach out this info to the public in some form.
Cheers.
Admad
Gonu-third day in Muscat:
MUSCAT – People in the capital area, Muscat, began to scurry for basic necessities yesterday, the third day after Cyclone Gonu hit Oman.
Water became a scarce commodity and majority of the people in the capital area, Muscat, ran dry without either potable water or water for any other purposes.
While many were also worried about food supplies, top officials reassured the public that Oman had enough food stocks to see them through the rest of this month.
Officials also reassured the public that people in the coastal city of Sur were alright, although agreeing that Gonu had caused material damage there. They also noted they had evacuated people from Ras Al Hadd, and people in areas like Sohar were safe.
Relief supplies were being sent by ship to affected areas like Sur. Essential food and other supplies have also been sent to Quriyat, another worst hit area.
Relief officials meanwhile noted that the cyclone killed over 30 people, and an almost equal number were reported missing.
Colonel Abdullah Al Harthy, director of public relations, Royal Oman Police (ROP) told the FM Radio Sultanate of Oman that the 30-odd dead were from “across the country”. “Around 40 to 50 percent of those who died were due to the indirect effect of the cyclone,” Col. Abdullah said.
But it is not clear whether the majority of the dead were mainly citizens (Omanis) or residents (expatriates). So answers to these and many other questions which were being fielded by many in Oman from anxious family members, relatives and friends from around the world still remain unanswered.
However, relief efforts are in full swing. The Inspector General of Police and Customs himself was at the helm of such efforts too. Col. Abdullah noted that Lt. General Malik bin Sulaiman Al Ma’amari was himself “leading the operations” to open a key road to Amerat, which was destroyed in the floods.
But, water scarcity has become the major problem for a population that is slowly coming into terms with an unusual and devastating occurrence, such as a cyclone.
The water problem became more acute as water tankers began to refuse to supply water, as was seen in the capital area yesterday. The water tanker drivers gave many excuses for not supplying the water to the parched and angry people, who were without supplies ever since snags hit the major distribution centre, following the cyclone Gonu’s fiery entry into Oman.
“We are making all efforts to reach water supplies to the public. Currently, repair work is going on at the main water supply tanks,” Col. Abdullah said, adding that supplies would soon be restored in Qurum, and then followed by Bausher, Al Ghubrah, Seeb and other areas by today (Saturday).
Col. Abdullah also said that measures would be taken against all those who abuse the current situation to their benefit. To a query on those water tankers who were reportedly charging nearly 10 times (or more) the usual price to fill a single residential water tank, Col. Abdullah said: “We are urging all such victims to report the name, the tanker number to us and we will take necessary steps to prosecute them.”
He also noted that all government level mechanisms were being drawn to not only bring such unscrupulous elements to the book, but also ensure that the people receive the best services that they could provide. He reeled out many ad-hoc water depots which provided free potable waters. He also called water tankers (and even the public having large water tanks) to come and fill water from these depots. “The water tankers can fill from here and they can provide the water free to people. Whatever charges incurred can be billed to the government,” Col. Abdullah said. Couple of trailers packed with mineral water were also available in Al Ghubrah and Bausher areas, he added.
“But, I would request the public to avoid cleaning their cars, their homes, or their clothes using such rare water supplies. We would like to request them to bear with us and wait patiently to do all of this until the government water supply is restored. We are still in the crisis stage, as far as the water is concerned. Try to share water with your neighbours,” he said, stressing that this was not the time to indulge in personal luxury or engage in activities to promote creature comfort.
As for the affected houses in the storm, Col. Abdullah said: “Preventive measures are being undertaken. We are right in the middle of it. Efforts are being taken to see that no one is dying of starvation, lack of food, medication and also water.”
The official noted that there was no food shortage in Oman. “We have enough stocks to last the whole of this month,” he said, noting that there was a unit located in Seeb, if there was an emergency. “But, for the moment, we are sure that if one house does not have it, they will get it from their neighbours. No one should for luxury at the moment, but enough to survive,” he said, also adding one of the main commercial centres, Lulu, was providing free mineral water to the public.
To a query, Col. Abdullah noted that “Sur was comfortable. Adhoc roads are being done, ships with food supplies have been sent. Smaller ports were being used for this purpose.
“Sur has recovered well. The land (main lines) lines are working. And the GSM (mobile phone) lines will soon be restored.
“Essential foods supplies are also being sent to Quriyat. Fuel supplies, generators for the hospitals there are also being provided. We are also reaching food supplies with the use of helicopters.”
Such relief operations were being done with the help of the national defence personnel, the official said.
“We have managed to evacuate people from Ras Al Hadd. People are returning but it will take some time for rehabilitation.”
Col. Abdullah also noted that the critically ill or those requiring emergency medical services, even in the capital area have been airlifted to the local hospitals. “We have lifted around 30 to 40 people for such emergency services,” he said. “We are doing these services. However, we need to prioritize. Many do not understand this. Our message to them and all is:
“Please have trust in God and please have trust in us. We are facing obstacles from every side, so please bear with us! We cannot do miracles, we are only human being, but, together, we will solve all the problems!”
Cheers.
Admad
Gonu-third day in Muscat:
MUSCAT – People in the capital area, Muscat, began to scurry for basic necessities yesterday, the third day after Cyclone Gonu hit Oman.
Water became a scarce commodity and majority of the people in the capital area, Muscat, ran dry without either potable water or water for any other purposes.
While many were also worried about food supplies, top officials reassured the public that Oman had enough food stocks to see them through the rest of this month.
Officials also reassured the public that people in the coastal city of Sur were alright, although agreeing that Gonu had caused material damage there. They also noted they had evacuated people from Ras Al Hadd, and people in areas like Sohar were safe.
Relief supplies were being sent by ship to affected areas like Sur. Essential food and other supplies have also been sent to Quriyat, another worst hit area.
Relief officials meanwhile noted that the cyclone killed over 30 people, and an almost equal number were reported missing.
Colonel Abdullah Al Harthy, director of public relations, Royal Oman Police (ROP) told the FM Radio Sultanate of Oman that the 30-odd dead were from “across the country”. “Around 40 to 50 percent of those who died were due to the indirect effect of the cyclone,” Col. Abdullah said.
But it is not clear whether the majority of the dead were mainly citizens (Omanis) or residents (expatriates). So answers to these and many other questions which were being fielded by many in Oman from anxious family members, relatives and friends from around the world still remain unanswered.
However, relief efforts are in full swing. The Inspector General of Police and Customs himself was at the helm of such efforts too. Col. Abdullah noted that Lt. General Malik bin Sulaiman Al Ma’amari was himself “leading the operations” to open a key road to Amerat, which was destroyed in the floods.
But, water scarcity has become the major problem for a population that is slowly coming into terms with an unusual and devastating occurrence, such as a cyclone.
The water problem became more acute as water tankers began to refuse to supply water, as was seen in the capital area yesterday. The water tanker drivers gave many excuses for not supplying the water to the parched and angry people, who were without supplies ever since snags hit the major distribution centre, following the cyclone Gonu’s fiery entry into Oman.
“We are making all efforts to reach water supplies to the public. Currently, repair work is going on at the main water supply tanks,” Col. Abdullah said, adding that supplies would soon be restored in Qurum, and then followed by Bausher, Al Ghubrah, Seeb and other areas by today (Saturday).
Col. Abdullah also said that measures would be taken against all those who abuse the current situation to their benefit. To a query on those water tankers who were reportedly charging nearly 10 times (or more) the usual price to fill a single residential water tank, Col. Abdullah said: “We are urging all such victims to report the name, the tanker number to us and we will take necessary steps to prosecute them.”
He also noted that all government level mechanisms were being drawn to not only bring such unscrupulous elements to the book, but also ensure that the people receive the best services that they could provide. He reeled out many ad-hoc water depots which provided free potable waters. He also called water tankers (and even the public having large water tanks) to come and fill water from these depots. “The water tankers can fill from here and they can provide the water free to people. Whatever charges incurred can be billed to the government,” Col. Abdullah said. Couple of trailers packed with mineral water were also available in Al Ghubrah and Bausher areas, he added.
“But, I would request the public to avoid cleaning their cars, their homes, or their clothes using such rare water supplies. We would like to request them to bear with us and wait patiently to do all of this until the government water supply is restored. We are still in the crisis stage, as far as the water is concerned. Try to share water with your neighbours,” he said, stressing that this was not the time to indulge in personal luxury or engage in activities to promote creature comfort.
As for the affected houses in the storm, Col. Abdullah said: “Preventive measures are being undertaken. We are right in the middle of it. Efforts are being taken to see that no one is dying of starvation, lack of food, medication and also water.”
The official noted that there was no food shortage in Oman. “We have enough stocks to last the whole of this month,” he said, noting that there was a unit located in Seeb, if there was an emergency. “But, for the moment, we are sure that if one house does not have it, they will get it from their neighbours. No one should for luxury at the moment, but enough to survive,” he said, also adding one of the main commercial centres, Lulu, was providing free mineral water to the public.
To a query, Col. Abdullah noted that “Sur was comfortable. Adhoc roads are being done, ships with food supplies have been sent. Smaller ports were being used for this purpose.
“Sur has recovered well. The land (main lines) lines are working. And the GSM (mobile phone) lines will soon be restored.
“Essential foods supplies are also being sent to Quriyat. Fuel supplies, generators for the hospitals there are also being provided. We are also reaching food supplies with the use of helicopters.”
Such relief operations were being done with the help of the national defence personnel, the official said.
“We have managed to evacuate people from Ras Al Hadd. People are returning but it will take some time for rehabilitation.”
Col. Abdullah also noted that the critically ill or those requiring emergency medical services, even in the capital area have been airlifted to the local hospitals. “We have lifted around 30 to 40 people for such emergency services,” he said. “We are doing these services. However, we need to prioritize. Many do not understand this. Our message to them and all is:
“Please have trust in God and please have trust in us. We are facing obstacles from every side, so please bear with us! We cannot do miracles, we are only human being, but, together, we will solve all the problems!”
Gonu-newsfeeds-June 6, 7.20pm
MUSCAT --
They followed the rules 364 days of the year. But, on the day they broke a simple rule, all hell broke loose, commented Bina Malhotra, a well-known Indian student career counselor in Muscat, who was part of the blessed lot, who confronted cyclone Gonu, and lived to tell the tale.
She, her husband, Pawan Malhotra (who apparently is leaving Oman for good), and her close friends ended up at the Barr Al Jissah resort, some 30-odd kilometers from their home, after being stranded for nearly four hours in the storm. The couple, along with their friends, all experienced off roaders, ventured out on a 4WD (Jeep Commander) with three objectives in mind. They had a birthday party to attend, test drive their new vehicle and most importantly check out the actual effect of the storm. But their adventurous storm chase ended up with the storm chasing them and soon they were in no position to get back to their home. Gonu played party pooper to this adventurous and enterprising lot as they gamely tried to tour the rain and wind afflicted sites of the Capital city, but were soon forced to seek comfort in the safety of a swank hotel. “We started out around 11am and moved across the highway to the Corniche, then went towards Wadi Kabir and upto Barr Al Jissah. We were egged on in our journey by the stupendous sights on the way. Minor waterfalls gushed out of the mountains, the winds tore through the shrubbery and the trees, but suddenly, midway, we realized that our picnic was over!”
Earlier around 11am, they had stopped on the Qurum flyover and had looked at the water logging in several parts, especially around a popular, internationally known, eatery, a shopping mall and other key buildings. “Within an hour and a half, the first floor of the popular eatery was submerged. This was the same case with the shopping mall and other main buildings in the area.
“Suddenly, from a friendly but strong wind and drizzle, the weather metamorphosed into a quirky and temperamental storm that began to wreak havoc. We realized that there was no way to reach our home, so we turned back to the Barr Al Jissah.”
The second time up, the Qantab road, which led to the resort, seemed far more perilous than before. “Small-sized boulders were falling down from the mountain, in fact, one rather huge one, narrowly missed us. Visibility was low, water was pouring from all ends, this time, and the intensity was fiercer. We did not waste any time: we swung our way to the hotel, and booked a room – thanks to one of them, who luckily had a credit card with him, while the others, who joined in did not take any money along because they never realized it was going to be a long trip -- there!”
“A word of praise for the authorities must be given. There is nothing that can be done when natural calamities occur and we are all mere puppets in the clutches of a storm like this. But, we must give due where it is deserved. All the ROP personnel whom we met in our path were extremely courteous and greatly helpful, within their limitations, of course!” Beena said.
She also had a word of advise for other motorists: “We have been foolish enough to venture out. Of course, we enjoyed it, but we would never advise anyone to venture out on the roads. Like, I said, we never break any rules, and for the last 364 days, we did not break any. But today, when we did, we were stuck in the storm. And we were let off lightly, this could not be the same case for everyone, so please don’t venture outdoors!”
They followed the rules 364 days of the year. But, on the day they broke a simple rule, all hell broke loose, commented Bina Malhotra, a well-known Indian student career counselor in Muscat, who was part of the blessed lot, who confronted cyclone Gonu, and lived to tell the tale.
She, her husband, Pawan Malhotra (who apparently is leaving Oman for good), and her close friends ended up at the Barr Al Jissah resort, some 30-odd kilometers from their home, after being stranded for nearly four hours in the storm. The couple, along with their friends, all experienced off roaders, ventured out on a 4WD (Jeep Commander) with three objectives in mind. They had a birthday party to attend, test drive their new vehicle and most importantly check out the actual effect of the storm. But their adventurous storm chase ended up with the storm chasing them and soon they were in no position to get back to their home. Gonu played party pooper to this adventurous and enterprising lot as they gamely tried to tour the rain and wind afflicted sites of the Capital city, but were soon forced to seek comfort in the safety of a swank hotel. “We started out around 11am and moved across the highway to the Corniche, then went towards Wadi Kabir and upto Barr Al Jissah. We were egged on in our journey by the stupendous sights on the way. Minor waterfalls gushed out of the mountains, the winds tore through the shrubbery and the trees, but suddenly, midway, we realized that our picnic was over!”
Earlier around 11am, they had stopped on the Qurum flyover and had looked at the water logging in several parts, especially around a popular, internationally known, eatery, a shopping mall and other key buildings. “Within an hour and a half, the first floor of the popular eatery was submerged. This was the same case with the shopping mall and other main buildings in the area.
“Suddenly, from a friendly but strong wind and drizzle, the weather metamorphosed into a quirky and temperamental storm that began to wreak havoc. We realized that there was no way to reach our home, so we turned back to the Barr Al Jissah.”
The second time up, the Qantab road, which led to the resort, seemed far more perilous than before. “Small-sized boulders were falling down from the mountain, in fact, one rather huge one, narrowly missed us. Visibility was low, water was pouring from all ends, this time, and the intensity was fiercer. We did not waste any time: we swung our way to the hotel, and booked a room – thanks to one of them, who luckily had a credit card with him, while the others, who joined in did not take any money along because they never realized it was going to be a long trip -- there!”
“A word of praise for the authorities must be given. There is nothing that can be done when natural calamities occur and we are all mere puppets in the clutches of a storm like this. But, we must give due where it is deserved. All the ROP personnel whom we met in our path were extremely courteous and greatly helpful, within their limitations, of course!” Beena said.
She also had a word of advise for other motorists: “We have been foolish enough to venture out. Of course, we enjoyed it, but we would never advise anyone to venture out on the roads. Like, I said, we never break any rules, and for the last 364 days, we did not break any. But today, when we did, we were stuck in the storm. And we were let off lightly, this could not be the same case for everyone, so please don’t venture outdoors!”
Gonu-newsfeeds-June 6, 7pm
MUSCAT – Someone was noisily prising out the asbestos sheet on the makeshift, illegally-constructed wooden bedroom that our neighbour had constructed on top of his building, in a residential area in Darsait ( in Muscat, the capital of Oman). This bedroom was not facing the road and so it had escaped the eyes of the Muscat Municipality. However, it could not escape the ‘eyes’ of Gonu, an unusual tropical storm that hit the Sultanate yesterday.
In fact, Gonu, or the stormy winds and the rains that accompanied it, spared nothing in its destructive path, especially in the interior regions of the Sultanate.
Since communication lines in many parts of the interior area are down, there was no way of knowing what is happening there, or even, what has happened, the extent of the damage caused by Gonu, etc. It, as they say, is that bad. So bad, that my poor parents, somewhere in Kerala, India, were constantly making long distance calls to see whether their two sons (my brother and his family is also in Muscat) are safe and sound, ever since Indian news channels began airing grim scenes of water flooding, cars being washed away and people from low-lying areas being evacuated to safer areas.
A friend phoned in around 6pm (Wednesday) noting that there was major flooding in some parts of the Azaiba area, which is located some 30-odd kilometers from my home. He was concerned about his friend and family, who were stuck with many others on the second floor of their building, located near the Oman Oil Pump. I phoned Ashraf, who sounded distressed and totally disoriented. “There are around 40 of us holed on the second floor, water is flowing on all sides of this building and already clambering up the first floor,” he said. “Is it someone from the media, tell them that there are families here, tell them to call the authorities concerned,” I heard someone calling out from the background. But, there was no way these folks could be rescued at the moment, for access to their building was totally cut off.
P.M. Jabir, a well known social worker and scribe for the Kairali TV channel, noted how a building in Wadi Adai collapsed and how many Indians, stranded on top of the building, were also washed away. As I type this, Kairali and Asianet are reporting these unfortunate incidents as part of their regular news update on Gonu from Oman.
So, although many people laughed it off, it is no laughing matter, as the storm spiraled around many parts of Oman, damaging what it (and the rains and the winds accompanying it) thought fit to destroy.
So many cases of people getting stranded with no way of them being rescued, trees being uprooted, even first floor of buildings being slowly submerged began floating around began spreading, creating more panic in an already panic-ridden, storm stricken folks, some of whom took necessary precaution by stocking up provisions from Tuesday morning onwards, when the official warnings began.
My home is located in Darsait, a kilometer or two, away from the Central Business District (CBD) area, in the capital city. And the garden in front of our villa looks like a tornado has hit it. Well, a cyclone, to be precise.
As news updates on the Oman FM radio and the Oman TV on the damage caused by Gonu trickled in, the underlying theme was on caution and a strict stay-at-home-or-get-caught-in-the-storm request by the authorities concerned, who apparently had its force out in full to employ damage control, which apparently they were successfully engaged in.
It is bad. So bad that the Royal Oman Police (ROP) advised citizens and residents – even in the Capital area -- to stay put in their homes and not venture out, even for provisions during the storm peak period, which was said to be around 12pm to 6pm. “Many cars have been washed away and even if you venture out for petrol or provisions, you will simply get stuck. Besides, none of the petrol stations, provisions or grocery stores are open,” Col. Abdullah Al Harthy of the ROP told the Oman FM Radio. Gonu struck Muscat around lunchtime, bringing high winds and heavy rain. Reports noted that the storm had moved up the coast after making landfall in the eastern region in the early hours of Wednesday morning. But even nearing 7pm, the wind, nor the rain let up, except briefly in the capital area.
Outside my living room, a strong wind is still howling. It seems to permeate from within the leafy garden of my mother-in-law. The howling resembled that of a savage, after it had wreaked maximum havoc there, pulling non-sturdy plants from the root, knocking down garden chairs, making weak pots, plastic containers, leaves, small branches literally blowing in the wind. One could take the howling, but the heart beats more than a little, when even the howls are drowned by the sirens of police and ambulance vehicles, streaking through the storm, making their rescue bids.
Latest reports reveal that the intensity of the storm had weakened and that it was heading away from the capital area towards the Batinah region. That should send some relief to the citizens and residents of Muscat. But, try telling that to Sundari, my Pomeranian, who has been cowering under the bed since morning. Tell that to my parents, who are still calling us to see if everything is okay. Sorry, gotta go, my folks are on the line again.
In fact, Gonu, or the stormy winds and the rains that accompanied it, spared nothing in its destructive path, especially in the interior regions of the Sultanate.
Since communication lines in many parts of the interior area are down, there was no way of knowing what is happening there, or even, what has happened, the extent of the damage caused by Gonu, etc. It, as they say, is that bad. So bad, that my poor parents, somewhere in Kerala, India, were constantly making long distance calls to see whether their two sons (my brother and his family is also in Muscat) are safe and sound, ever since Indian news channels began airing grim scenes of water flooding, cars being washed away and people from low-lying areas being evacuated to safer areas.
A friend phoned in around 6pm (Wednesday) noting that there was major flooding in some parts of the Azaiba area, which is located some 30-odd kilometers from my home. He was concerned about his friend and family, who were stuck with many others on the second floor of their building, located near the Oman Oil Pump. I phoned Ashraf, who sounded distressed and totally disoriented. “There are around 40 of us holed on the second floor, water is flowing on all sides of this building and already clambering up the first floor,” he said. “Is it someone from the media, tell them that there are families here, tell them to call the authorities concerned,” I heard someone calling out from the background. But, there was no way these folks could be rescued at the moment, for access to their building was totally cut off.
P.M. Jabir, a well known social worker and scribe for the Kairali TV channel, noted how a building in Wadi Adai collapsed and how many Indians, stranded on top of the building, were also washed away. As I type this, Kairali and Asianet are reporting these unfortunate incidents as part of their regular news update on Gonu from Oman.
So, although many people laughed it off, it is no laughing matter, as the storm spiraled around many parts of Oman, damaging what it (and the rains and the winds accompanying it) thought fit to destroy.
So many cases of people getting stranded with no way of them being rescued, trees being uprooted, even first floor of buildings being slowly submerged began floating around began spreading, creating more panic in an already panic-ridden, storm stricken folks, some of whom took necessary precaution by stocking up provisions from Tuesday morning onwards, when the official warnings began.
My home is located in Darsait, a kilometer or two, away from the Central Business District (CBD) area, in the capital city. And the garden in front of our villa looks like a tornado has hit it. Well, a cyclone, to be precise.
As news updates on the Oman FM radio and the Oman TV on the damage caused by Gonu trickled in, the underlying theme was on caution and a strict stay-at-home-or-get-caught-in-the-storm request by the authorities concerned, who apparently had its force out in full to employ damage control, which apparently they were successfully engaged in.
It is bad. So bad that the Royal Oman Police (ROP) advised citizens and residents – even in the Capital area -- to stay put in their homes and not venture out, even for provisions during the storm peak period, which was said to be around 12pm to 6pm. “Many cars have been washed away and even if you venture out for petrol or provisions, you will simply get stuck. Besides, none of the petrol stations, provisions or grocery stores are open,” Col. Abdullah Al Harthy of the ROP told the Oman FM Radio. Gonu struck Muscat around lunchtime, bringing high winds and heavy rain. Reports noted that the storm had moved up the coast after making landfall in the eastern region in the early hours of Wednesday morning. But even nearing 7pm, the wind, nor the rain let up, except briefly in the capital area.
Outside my living room, a strong wind is still howling. It seems to permeate from within the leafy garden of my mother-in-law. The howling resembled that of a savage, after it had wreaked maximum havoc there, pulling non-sturdy plants from the root, knocking down garden chairs, making weak pots, plastic containers, leaves, small branches literally blowing in the wind. One could take the howling, but the heart beats more than a little, when even the howls are drowned by the sirens of police and ambulance vehicles, streaking through the storm, making their rescue bids.
Latest reports reveal that the intensity of the storm had weakened and that it was heading away from the capital area towards the Batinah region. That should send some relief to the citizens and residents of Muscat. But, try telling that to Sundari, my Pomeranian, who has been cowering under the bed since morning. Tell that to my parents, who are still calling us to see if everything is okay. Sorry, gotta go, my folks are on the line again.
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