UNIPATH STAFF
Preemptive action by the Sultan’s Armed Forces saved the lives of potentially hundreds of Omanis residing in the path of Cyclone Shaheen in October 2021.
Omani authorities rescued more than 600 people as the storm hit the country with winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour and waves approaching heights of 10 meters.
To diminish casualties from the approaching cyclone, Omani Internal Security Service halted traffic in the governorates of Al Batinah North and Al Batinah South, restricting movement to emergency cases and deliveries of vital goods. Power was cut as well in al-Qurm, east of Muscat, to avoid accidents, and more than 2,700 people were directed to emergency shelters.
Omani authorities furloughed public employees and postponed flights to and from Muscat International Airport until the cyclone had passed. Rainfall amounted to 369 millimeters in Al-Khaboura, northwest of the capital city, Muscat.
His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq created a ministerial committee to assess property damage from the cyclone. Oman’s friends in the region responded as well. After a phone call from Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs Shihab bin Tariq, Kuwait dispatched military assets to Oman.
His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan phoned Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, extending his condolences and sympathy and professing support for the Omani people.
Sources: BBC, Reuters, alkhaleejonline