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.
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