Floods sweep away car in Oman killing 2
Clean-up operations continue as thousands of volunteers help in the aftermath of cyclone
The Royal Oman Police official said that two more men died when their car was swept away in heavy flooding caused by rains in the aftermath of Cyclone Mekunu.
The two men died on Sunday morning in Salalah bringing the death toll in the country to six.
Cyclone Mekunu made landfall as a Category 2 storm on the coast of Dhofar early on Saturday.
An Omani diplomat in Bahrain said the authorities had taken several precautionary measures to ensure the safety of citizens and residents ahead of the cyclone.
Flooding and damage remains considerable after the cyclone, the strongest-ever recorded to hit southern Oman and the sultanate’s third-largest city of Salalah.
As the storm subsided, clean-up operations were undertaken by security forces and emergency services. Thousands of volunteers signed up to help with the aftermath, reports in Muscat said. While the meteorology directorate said that “the direct effects of the tropical system are over” the flooding aftermath has kept thousands of people living near coastal areas in shelters.
Cyclone Mekunu packed maximum sustained winds of 170-180km/h with gusts of up to 200km/h. Omani forecasters said Salalah and the surrounding area would get at least 200 millimeters of rain, over twice the city’s annual downfall. It actually received 278.2mm, nearly three times its annual rainfall.
While Salalah International Airport already has reopened, there’s still much damage that needs to be repaired in Oman, from downed power lines to whole roadways swallowed by raging flash floods. Water supplies also have been affected.
Thunderstorms
On Sunday there were thunderstorms in Dhofar and Al Wusta governorates.
The labour ministry declared a three-day holiday for companies and establishments in the private sector, state news agency ONA reported on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s cabinet has tasked the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) and the Kuwait Relief Society (KRC) with offering urgent relief aid to the Yemeni island of Socotra which bore the brunt of the cyclone before it hit Oman.
Officials in Socotra said that five Yemenis and two Indian sailors had been killed while the fate of eight Indian sailors remains unknown.
Strong winds took out homes, closed roads and badly damaged communication, power and water networks.
The government declared the island a disaster zone.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have already dispatched planes loaded with food and medical assistance to help the around 1,000 families that had to be evacuated to ensure their safety.
Around 60,000 people live on the island.
Socotra evacuees thank UAE
The 17 injured Yemenis who were evacuated from Socotra to the UAE for medical treatment have thanked the country for the gesture. Mohammad Amer Khamis said the UAE was the first country to rescue people in Socotra.
Another patient, Ramy Mohammad Hadid, said he was injured while working to remove debris caused by the cyclone, and that upon his arrival in the UAE, he was provided with immediate medical attention.