Thursday, Jun 03, 2010
Gulf News
Muscat Cyclone Phet in the Arabian Sea has intensified and torrential rain is expected to lash Oman's east coast, according to an advisory by the Directorate-General of Meteorology and Air Navigation Department, Muscat.
Following the advisory, panic stricken residents thronged supermarkets and hypermarkets to stock essentials.
Phet is moving in the north-westerly direction at 12km/h off the coast of the eastern region, the advisory said.
"However, currently it is 360km off the Masirah Island. The residents of Masirah Island, who were evacuated before the tropical Cyclone Gonu in 2007, have been warned of torrential rain and gale-force winds.
"Although the cyclone is forecast to veer in the north-easterly direction towards the Indian and Pakistan coast, it may cause heavy rain in Masirah and Ras Al Hadd on the eastern coast," the department advisory said.
Advice
The department has also advised fishermen not to venture into the sea, especially on the eastern coast. Phet, a Thai word pronounced as pet, means diamond.
Lieutenant General Malek Bin Sulaiman Al Ma'amari, Inspector-General of Police and Customs Chairman of the National Civil Defence, assured residents that the authorities were in all preparedness to face any eventuality.
He said that according to forecast, the impact of the cyclone on Oman could start from this evening and last over the next 24 hours.
See also Page 29
By Sunil K. Vaidya
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