Cyclone Gonu causes devastation in Oman. by Rob McElwee
More than 20,000 people have now been evacuated from Oman after torrential rain and winds from Tropical Cyclone Gonu lashed the country Wednesday night. The normally hot and dry southern coast was hit by heavy rains and winds of 41mph (66kph) which left more than 25 people dead with many more still missing.
Intense cyclones across the Arabian Sea are rare, with most being small and dissipating before any significant effects are felt. The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre has confirmed that Gonu is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in this region since 1945.
As well as destroying homes and roads, the storm raised concerns over Oman’s oil shipments as one of its central oil terminals was forced to close yesterday. However it looks unlikely to cause any major disruption as Gonu was yesterday downgraded into a tropical storm. As it heads towards Iran Gonu continues to weaken and is now unlikely to pose a significant threat, but with thousands of people in Oman now homeless it will be a while before things return to normaility.
|
|
