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Oman alert for cyclone 'Phet'

MUSCAT: The Sultanate is prepared to face the harsh weather conditions expected to hit parts of Al Sharqiyah today, Lt. Gen. Malik bin Sulaiman Al Ma'mari, IG of Police and Customs and Chairman of National Committee for Civil Defence, said yesterday.

Al Ma'mari said civil defence units are on high alert, adding that this weather condition -- named Phet -- may be almost similar to that which hit the Sultanate in June 2007.

Cyclone Phet, which is more than 300km away from Masirah and moving at 10km per hour, is predicted to hit Oman's eastern coast by this afternoon.

From a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, with sustained winds of over 130mph, Phet is expected to become a Category 5 storm -- the most powerful with winds of over 156mph -- in the next 24 hours. "The cyclone will probably hit the Sultanate's coasts by 4pm today and last until Friday evening," Al Ma'mari said.

It's expected to hit the coast from Ras Madrakah to Muscat passing the Al Sharqiyah coasts and the Masirah Island, where heavy rains are expected.

Evacuation
Oman Air , the Royal Airforce of Oman and the police aviation have begun evacuating people from Masirah Island to safer places, Al Ma'mari said.

National carrier Oman Air temporarily cancelled its flights to Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi to deploy the aircraft for the evacuation of citizens of Masirah Island, an airline spokesperson said.

The passengers stranded due to this cancellation will be accommodated on other flights, or will be provided suitable alternate arrangements, the spokesperson said. "As the safety of citizens is top priority, Oman Air pledges its support to ably assist the government towards this endeavour," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Badr bin Ali Al Rumhi, director of forecasting and observing department at the Directorate General of Meteorology and Air Aviation at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said the tropical storm over the Arabian Sea has been categorised by the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal Storm Regional Centre as '3.5 A' degree. Though the convective clouds will intensify towards Muscat Governorate by tomorrow, the instensity of rain will be less in the capital, Al Rumhi said.

The Meteorology department will continue to keep a tab on the weather and update the public accordingly, he said.

Super storm
Tropical storm watch website www.tropicalstormrisk.com says the cyclone is not expected to make a landfall in Oman, but should instead turn to skim parallel to the Sultanate's shores before roaring towards Pakistan.

Professor Mark Saunders, lead scientist and project manager at Tropical Storm Risk, a University College of London department, said over telephone: "Phet will strike as a super cyclonic storm with speeds of 130 miles per hour, and either Category 4 or 5."

A storm that powerful would be strong enough to damage buildings, pull down trees and damage infrastructure, he said.

Meanwhile, walis have been asked to notify citizens in a number of wilayats in the Al Sharqiyah region, especially in the wilayats of Sur, Ja'lan Bani Bu Ali and Ja'lan Bani Bu Hassan, to stay away from wadis and low-lying areas during heavy rains.

Also, oil and gas firms, government departments and private establishments have been asked to take precautionary measures, Al Rumhi said. -- With inputs from agencies

© Times of Oman 2010