Businesses and banks join efforts to help Oman recover after Shaheen
Rescuers use helicopters and dogs to search for people trapped by floods
Banks and businesses have donated more than 7.7 million Omani rials ($20.1m) to aid the sultanate’s recovery from Cyclone Shaheen.
Sixteen organisations have registered at donate.om to raise funds to help those affected by the storm, which hit Oman on Sunday. The storm brought heavy rain and winds of up to 150 kilometres an hour. Eleven people have been declared dead, as rescue efforts continue.
Oman’s Scouts and Guides association have pitched in to help after the storm.
Teams emptied flooded homes, helped to deliver food to people who had to leave their houses and cleared roads.
Telecoms company Omantel offered free local calls and text messages to users in Al Musannah, Suwaiq and Khaburaf in Al Batinah governorate until October 11.
Bank Sohar International said it had allocated 5m rials in interest-free loans “to support our customers and build back our communities in severely affected areas”.
The bank will also offer payment holidays of three months on personal and housing loans, the Times of Oman reported. The authorities announced that families in the worst-hit areas of Sohar were entitled to alternative accommodation until repairs were made.
The country’s Capital Market Authority has urged Omani insurers to deal with claims swiftly and open up as many lines of communication as possible. It also encouraged businesses to start initiatives to help the communities they serve in the aftermath of the storm.
The chairman of Oman’s cricket board said he would have had to wave goodbye to the T20 World Cup if Shaheen had taken a different path.
Oman will host six Group B matches at Al Amarat near Muscat, including three involving its own team, and Oman Cricket chairman Pankaj Khimji said they were “very fortunate” to have missed the worst of the storm.
More than 7.7 million Omani rials ($20.1m) has been raised in the sultanate to help repair homes destroyed by Cyclone Shaheen.
The Central Bank of Oman, Bank Nizwa and telecoms company Omantel have donated funds, the Oman News Agency reported yesterday.
“More are expected to donate during the course of the week,” a spokesman from the Oman Charitable Organisation told The National.
Sixteen organisations have registered to raise money for those affected by Shaheen through the Oman charitable donations portal.
On Tuesday, people began to clean up the damage caused by the storm, which killed at least 11 people, destroyed homes, damaged infrastructure and forced more than 5,000 people to seek shelter in temporary accommodation.
Most of the damage is in the northern Al Batinah region, including the towns of Al Musannah, Suwaiq, Saham, Khaburah and Sohar, which were hit by 12-metre waves and winds of about 150 kilometres an hour.
People who lost their properties in the storm welcomed news of the donations.
“It is good news for us and we are very grateful for all the donors who have been kind enough to donate the money to repair our houses,” Said Al Balushi, a homeowner in Suwaiq, told The National.
“My compound wall is flat on the ground and many of my windows have been broken.”
Businesses were also hit hard by flooding and high winds but many owners have said they are unsure whether they will benefit from the private donations.
“As shopkeepers, are we going to be counted as victims of the cyclone? My house was not affected much but my shop is completely ruined,” said Moosa Al Sahlani, a shopkeeper in Saham.
“There is nothing to sell because I have no business left with no income. I really hope we will be in their donation plans.”
On Monday, Oman’s ruler Sultan Haitham ordered his Cabinet to form a committee to assess the extent of the storm damage.
The committee will assess private properties to support homeowners and private businesses. It will be led by Minister of Finance Sultan Al Habsi, Oman TV reported.
It is not clear whether the government will raise money from central government funds to help those affected, or if the onus will be on private donors.
Search-and-rescue operations continued yesterday, Oman TV reported.
Helicopters and dogs are being used to find people trapped in flooded areas and hospitals remain on high alert.
Some roads in Al Batinah remain blocked by mud washed up after Shaheen caused wadis to flood.
The Royal Oman Police said they were working to remove the blockages and provide food and water to those forced to leave their homes.
Members of the Scouts and Guides joined the clean-up efforts and helped out at evacuation centres.
Yaqoub Al Nadabi, director general of the General Directorate of Scouts and Guides, said the groups wanted to help because they felt it was their “social responsibility and national duty”.
Photos released by the Oman News Agency showed scouts wearing neckerchiefs as they used shovels to clear mud.
We are very grateful for all the donors who have been kind enough to donate the money to repair our houses
SAID AL BALUSHI Homeowner in Suwaiq