15 years on, memories of Gonu yet to fade off

Muscat: Although Cyclone Gonu occurred 15 years ago, those who were in the cyclone’s area of effect, and had to deal with its aftermath still have vivid memories of its devastating impact on parts of Muscat.

The cyclone’s impact led to vehicles in Muscat tossed aside as effortlessly as a child might throw around his toys. It tore through roads and highways, uprooted trees from the ground, and left many areas in the capital submerged under several feet of water.

People across many areas of the coastline where the cyclone was predicted to have maximum impact were evacuated to safer regions of the country. One of them was Zeinab from Masirah Island.

“Thousands of people on the island of Masirah, including me and my family, and in the coastal areas of the country, were evacuated before the cyclone struck,” she recalled.

The low-lying areas around Qurum Commercial Centre, a hotspot for locals and expatriates in the capital, as well as a commercial and tourism hub, were submerged under several feet of water that needed to be drained by specialist crews and equipment.

Mansooor Al Hooti from Muscat Governorate said: “The powerful tropical cyclone Gonu hit the Omani coastline, especially the area in and around Muscat, and caused heavy rains over the capital. The authorities also closed the capital’s airport, but the maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which a quarter of the world’s oil passes, did not stop.”

Ahead of Gonu’s predicted landfall, which saw waves several feet high lash furiously against the coastline, people were given time to stock up on supplies and batten down the hatches.

Among them was Jose Manuel, an expatriate from the Philippines, who worked with his neighbours to make sure everyone in the building had enough supplies to last through the turbulent period.

“Shops were very crowded at the time, so we took it in turns to buy food and water for everyone in the building – we also made sure that those with babies had what was required to take care of them, such as diapers,” he recalled.

“My wife had returned from the Philippines only recently, so she had brought plenty of foodstuff from home, and that really saw us through the worst of the cyclone,” he added. “Not in a million years did we expect something like Gonu to come to Muscat, which is the very embodiment of tranquility.”

Khalid Al Jahwari, a weather expert, said, “Cyclone Gonu was the strongest to hit Oman. The intensity of a cyclone is measured on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which rates cyclones from category one to five. At one point, Cyclone Gonu was given the highest category of level five on the scale.”

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a one to five rating based only on a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed. This scale does not take into account other potentially deadly hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding, and tornadoes.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale estimates potential property damage. While all hurricanes produce life-threatening winds, hurricanes rated Category 3 and higher are known as major hurricanes. Major hurricanes can cause devastating to catastrophic wind damage and significant loss of life simply due to the strength of their winds.

Hurricanes of all categories can produce deadly storm surge, rain-induced floods, and tornadoes. These hazards require people to take protective action, including evacuating from areas vulnerable to storm surge.

Category 1 cyclones produce winds from 119 to 153 kph, and generate very dangerous winds that could cause some damage, while Category 2 cyclones involve extremely dangerous winds leading to extensive damage.

Cyclones of categories 3 (178 to 208 kph), 4 (209 to 251 kph) and 5 (252 kph or higher) are considered major cyclones, and bring with them devastating or catastrophic damage.

Category five cyclones will lead to a high percentage of framed homes being destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse.

Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months, according to the NOAA.