I don’t know about you, but I’m terrified. And I’m in Australia. Seriously. Who wouldn’t be? This has never happened in Oman. EVER. A little heavy rain and the country goes into complete chaos (flashbacks of last December here and here ).
The Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and Royal Oman Police (ROP) and other authorities have declared a state of emergency. The category 5.5 cyclone Gonu is expected to hit the coast near Masirah Island by tomorrow night or early morning on Thursday. Masirah's population is estimated at 7,000 who have been evacuated to mainland. Gonu could whip up maximum sustained winds in the region of 185 - 200 km/h for a minute!
Expect to hear a lot of rumors about what is going on in the coming days. Like the one i heard about the airport being shut down for 36 hours. Fishermen have been advised to stay off the sea.
Watch this space for updates. Hope everyone stays safe.
Links:
Times of Oman - Cyclone may hit Oman
Gulf New - Oman mobilises 7,000 men to handle cyclonic storm's ravages
OmanForum - Tropical Cyclone to hit Muscat
OmaniCrib - Bad Weather
English Sabla - Hurricane to Hit Oman
19 comments:
Hey Kay,
My name is Jasmin i live in north queensland australia, my parents are in Oman at the moment. I go back there every december holidays. I just read all your bogs. It reminded me so much about oman. Its a bit scary about the cyclone, when oman sinks with a tiny bit of rain. think positive. god willing.
jasmin
Hi Kay,
Just wanted to know if you have any details stating that Cyclone Gonu is said to have moved its course towards Iran / Pakistan. Is this true? Pls give some feedback if you have any news.
Take Care, Best Regards,
Pravin (Muscat - Oman)
Hey.. Am TERRIFIED TOO ! all i do is watch Oman CH to gEt the Right information and not hear any rumors .. wht i know so far is :
*the sea water went 300mtrs further in MAsira and Qurayat
*16 Bangladish men were saved from Drawning in Jaalan
* the waves are gettin higher in Qurum,atheiba till SEEB ..
* its just CLoudy here in MCT since morning with a lil wind..
* all things which r happening now are juuusst a tiiiny bit of wht's goin to happen later
* they r expectin they Cyclone to hit muscat tomorrow at around 4pm
Allah ye7fath el jamee3 inshallah ..
Wishing the best for those in Gonu's way. I just found your blog and wanted to say good luck to all from Washington state, USA
hi here is an updated version of photos, muscat will be getting the strongest winds soon.http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat.products.html
Hi Jasmin - Welcome to my blog. I go to school in Melbourne and I miss home soo much! Hopefully there isnt a lot of damage and it will pass by with just a bit of wind and rain. Thanks for the update link! I will try to post more updates when I can, as I'm camped at the library studying for finals.
Pravin - It does seem to be heading toward Iran Click here for the tracking map
Anonymous - Stay positive i guess and not so freaked! What else has been on the news? no casualties? what where those 16 men doing almost drowning?! Hamdaullah they were saved. The waves, wind and rain is to be expected, even after it passes us and goes on north to Iran. Stay dry and safe.
Healthcare for Peace - Thank you.
Hi kay, i'm studying for my exams too, just a bit worried which doesn't help. The cyclone should is going to cross over muscat today, so i'm worried about not just the safety of my parents but of all omani's.
praise god that everyone will be safe.
Hi ... Im in oman right now ... live in al khuwair .... i dont know where the eye of the storm is .. but its whiplashes are here ... to all those who have loved ones here .. i wouldnt worry because unlike previous times where they have been rains thsi time around there has been sufficient warnings .... right now by the looks of it .. if ur in ur house .. ur very safe ... just winds around the place
Hi Jasmin, just as long as your parents stay indoors on high ground away from the sea then inshallah the storm will pass by without jeopardizing anyone's safety. I've spoken to my family and i'm not sure if they are down playing it or its seriously not as bad as we think it is. Powers shortages, water leaking indoors, heavy rain and wind is what i keep hearing from everyone. Focus on your finals! and good luck.
Anonymous - Thanks for your update from khuwair. The warning and the way its been handled by the rop and government has probably lessened the affect and damage this could have resulted in. Hamdulllah!
with prayers from oman , i am a srilankan recently joined in oman. here in muscat its haevily raining with strong winds. it is cloudy all over, you can see places with forming floods, through water channels (wadi).Here people are not used for the rain. but the govt. promptly has taken nessesary measures to safegaurd the puplic. armed forces are kept in alert to face any disaster as well the medical staff. ME Kalmunai Niyas From Oman ,HERE AT 15.35 MUSCAT
OMG THE EFFECT HAS REACHED FUJAIRAH - THE UAE. I live right in front of the beach, and a couple of the houses that are closer to the beach have been flooded. they've all evacuated and went to an inner land, far away from the beach. Except for us; we're still here in front of the beach, watching its every step of destruction. It now blocked 2 roads.. The roads are literally a "DO NOT ENTER" zone. We have no intention of evacuating, since the damage has already been done to Oman; I think that this is just an after effect. Although the waves arent getting any smaller yet.. People say that its gonna start during nighttime. Wish us all luck and pray for us :(
Hi Kay
I'm Ali
I live in sumail , the wadi (valley) here is overfilled, it is still raining , water from the close mountaines all is pouring her !
Oman is not adapted to such rain !
hope it will pass peacefully
God bless and save Oman and whoever lives in
sssssssooooooooooosssssssss hey there,could anyone tell me wts going on in muscat right now?! i live in Iran but ive got a friend living over there,he sent me a txt early this afternoon and he was so worried! since then im trying to call him but i cant get through! plzzzzz tell me wts going on? is it really that bad?!
I live in nizwa which has not been affected by the cyclone except light showers. We were all prepared with a disaster plan in the regional hospital but fortunately it has passed off smoothly. We are concerned about all those hit in the coastal areas and Muscat. the gsm lines are not working. Must applaud the Oman authorities on their handling the situation..
hey,
alhmadulilah, you'll get some poeple who didn't not suffer from the cyclone, like us at my house.. except for the few leakage here and there, but nothin to worry about and we didn't lose the power like the other areas, so I'm thanking God!
However, there's been some substantial damage made to many areas like al ghubra, al aathaiba, qurum (near CCC) and all over. People have lost their cars, the first floor of their houses and had to resort to the 2nd or the roof for those who don't have a 2nd floor unfortunately. Share3 el 7obb.. completely washed out. We've managed to get updates on it from TV and family members who've attempted to venture out! It's a shame and to make it worse, there's been fatality, yes.. 12 people and few more lost. Oh, 150 people were rescued from the qurum area which is sad to hear that it's resorted to that much damage.
Oh, oh..qurum bridge... GONE, the road of share3 el 7obb, damaged in the middle, which means people cannot get to the other end!! it makes you wonder how strong these winds were coz for those in the suburbs.. we didn't feel much and better yet, you wonder how those roads were built! Oh well.. there's been a royal decree for the people to resume work on Sunday!
I'll tell you one thing, its been a scary experience to be in lockdown at home, having to put up with heavy winds, leakages, things falling from houses and watching nature take its course! Alhamdulilah 3ala kul 7aal, we're hoping it'll be over. As it's been announced that it'll rain again today, possibly heavy storms!
Inshaa-Allah Kheir!
When will Oman ever learn!! Has everybody forgotten the cyclone that hit Salalah in 2002...Total deverstation and many lives lost. But then so many people here believe Oman starts and ends in Muscat!!
Hey.....
I am always hearing thing that gonu is again going to hit Oman.....is it a romour or true....pls give some feedback if u have anything
Sanju
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