Cyclone Shaheen approaches Oman

Agencies | Muscat

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Tropical Cyclone Shaheen is bearing down on Oman, prompting authorities to delay flights to and from the capital and to urge residents to evacuate coastal areas.

A child who had been swept away by water was found dead, the state news agency said, and another person was missing.

The eye of the storm was approaching the capital Muscat on Sunday, surrounded by top winds of about 139km/h (86 mph).

The cyclone is expected to “directly impact north Al-Batinah, Al Dhahira, Al Buraimi and Al Dakhliya”, a statement by the country’s weather agency said on Sunday.

According to Al Jazeera’s weather expert Jeff Harrington, one of the biggest risks this cyclone poses is that in Oman’s desert climate the “ground is bone dry, so it can’t absorb the rain”.

“The second part is this is a mountainous area, so that means the rain falls high above and it gushes.. so the combination of both of these would lead to the risk of high flooding,” he added.

The storm’s centre was expected to hit during the late afternoon and evening, bringing very high winds and heavy rainfall, but the outer bands of the system are already being felt.

The national emergency committee said the power supply would be cut in al-Qurm, east of the capital, to avoid accidents. More than 2,700 people were put up in emergency shelters.

Most of the oil-exporting country’s five million people live in and around Muscat. Roads in the capital would be open only to vehicles on emergency and humanitarian journeys until the storm dies down, authorities said.