Muscat – The damages left in its wake by the severe cyclonic storm Shaheen are currently being assessed in the wilayats of Mussanah, Saham, Suwaiq and Khabourah, while efforts are continuing to restore basic services in Khabourah and Suwaiq, an official said.

Lt Col Matar bin Hamad al Makhmari, director of operations, North Batinah Governorate Police Command, said the situation was stable in the wilayats. “Khabourah witnessed heavy rains on Sunday night with strong winds, leading to the overflow of Wadi Hawasna, Wadi al Ghalil and Wadi Khor,” he said.

He informed that operation centres received several reports of power outage in a number of areas in the governorate and specialist teams were working to restore power.

Eng Sulaiman bin Hamad al Sunaidi, director of North Batinah Municipality, said efforts began early Monday morning in Khabourah and Suwaiq to open roads and remove fallen trees.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Ahmed al Saidi, a citizen from Suwaiq, said, “Rainwater entered and a part of our house wall was destroyed, so we moved to an emergency shelter.”

According to Nasser al Hosani from Khabourah, the wilayat received heavy rains and floodwaters entered homes and damaged roads. “We thank God that we are in good health.”

Salem al Balushi from Mussanah said, “Our home was flooded and floodwater swept away our car and everything in front of us. We thank the authorities responsible for providing shelters and looking after all our needs.”

Issa bin Hamad al Azri, Governor of South Batinah, informed that the damages caused by Shaheen are being evaluated. “There have been power outages due to a number of electricity poles falling in the wilayats of Barka and Mussanah. Work is underway to restore supply at the earliest.”

He added that roads in the governorate are pliable, except for Al Tayeb Street in Rustaq, and that there were 174 people in shelters in Barka and 350 in Mussanah.

Batinah schools shut for the week

The Ministry of Education has suspended study in all public and private schools in the governorates of South and North Batinah for the week. Classes will resume on October 10.

The ministry also suspended study in public and private schools in the governorates of Muscat and Dhahirah on Tuesday.

Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) announced that it has suspended study from October 5 to 7 and classes will resume on October 10.
‘The decision is taken in light of the changing weather conditions and to ensure the safety of students,’ SQU stated.