Gulf | Oman
Residents wake up to devastation
Residents of Muscat woke up on Thursday to witness the devastation left behind by the strongest storm to hit the region in decades, causing minor inconveniences to some and indefinite displacement for others.
- By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 June 7, 2007
Dubai: Residents of Muscat woke up on Thursday to witness the devastation left behind by the strongest storm to hit the region in decades, causing minor inconveniences to some and indefinite displacement for others.
Anisa Al Raisi, 24, who works in the hospitality industry, said she could not "start to think about the damage" caused to her house after a flash flood left most houses in her neighbourhood flooded.
"I saw some water coming our way so I started putting towels under the main door, but the water wouldn't stop. Then I heard banging on the door, and it was my neighbours warning me to leave the house. When I opened the door, a massive wave came through and flooded the ground floor," she said. "We were scared for our lives".
Anisa said that before fleeing the house, she had to swim into her new car, which was mostly underwater by then, to fetch her wallet and passport.
Having spent the night at her neighbours' house, she said her house would be uninhabitable for "at least another five days" while ten volunteers helped to clean it.
"Everything is gone. Even my university degree," she said.
Husam Mehdi, who works in the petroleum industry, told Gulf News he woke up at his parents' house on Thursday and rushed to his own house, to find his ground floor furnature "floating".
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Since his house is located in a low-lying area of the Qurum district, he and his wife moved to his parents' house before the cyclone "with just our clothes and our cars". The damage in his house, he estimated, "is probably worth around 6,000 rials".
Lubna Sultan, a medical student, said "ample warning" was given by the authorities. She told Gulf News that people had started leaving their houses earlier today to see the aftermath of the cyclone. "We saw a lot of people going out to take pictures".
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