VZCZCXRO1520
OO RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHMS #0590/01 1621406
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 111406Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8379
INFO RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEASRB/COMUSARCENT-CDRUSATHIRD FT MCPHERSON GA
RHMFISS/COMUSCENTAF SHAW AFB SC
RHBVAKS/COMUSNAVCENT
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MUSCAT 000590 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017 
TAGS: AMER AMGT ASEC CASC KSAC KHLS MOPS SENV MU
SUBJECT: OMAN BEGINS CYCLONE RECOVERY EFFORTS, CONTINUES TO 
ASSESS DAMAGE 
 
REF: A. MUSCAT 581 
 
     ¶B. MUSCAT 576 
     ¶C. MUSCAT 574 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Gary A. Grappo for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (C) Major clean-up and recovery efforts are underway in 
the Muscat area following the pounding the city took from 
tropical cyclone Gonu, but significant work remains to be 
done.  Some parts of the greater capital area still have no 
power or water and the damaged road system is snarled with 
traffic.  Standing water presents a potential health hazard 
and some residents have reported looting in temporarily 
abandoned homes.  Road crews are working to restore 
transportation links with towns outside Muscat previously 
cut-off by the storm, but water, food and other supplies in 
more isolated areas remain scarce.  The city of Sur further 
south along the Omani coast suffered an even more direct hit 
from Gonu, but is being aided by a large-scale Omani military 
assistance operation.  But, perhaps the biggest question 
Omanis are asking five days after the storm is, "Where's the 
Sultan?"  Reported to be actively inspecting the damage and 
recovery efforts, he has not been seen or heard from.  End 
Summary. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
MUSCAT: ATTEMPTING TO RESTORE THE CITY'S SHEEN 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2.  (U) In the aftermath of the destruction caused by 
tropical cyclone Gonu (refs A-C), the government of Oman has 
initiated extensive relief and clean-up efforts in affected 
areas.  In the Muscat metropolitan area, widely known for its 
beauty, organization and almost antiseptic cleanliness, 
destruction, garbage and in a few places even chaos now 
reign.  Road repair crews are working extended hours to 
re-open traffic arteries by removing mud, fallen trees and 
debris from streets and, in some cases, by making temporary 
structural repairs.  Electricity service is being restored to 
additional neighborhoods, although an announcement in the 
local press June 11 asked city residents to "conserve" power. 
 Of more concern to most people, the city water supply and 
distribution system is slowly reaching more parts of the city 
as the desalination plants in Ghubra and Barka move towards 
normal capacity, although full production and operations may 
not be restored for another week.  (Note:  The residences of 
all U.S. employees of the Embassy have electricity and have 
also received sufficient water -- either from delivery trucks 
or through distribution pipes -- to meet immediate needs. 
End Note.)  In some areas that were spared major flooding, 
daily life is deceptively "normal" with open stores and 
supermarkets full of consumer goods (although there is still 
a shortage of fresh milk and other items) and readily 
available gasoline at service stations. 
 
------------------------- 
OMANIS HELPING EACH OTHER 
------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Apart from government efforts, Omanis continue to 
make material donations to aid storm victims and are actively 
volunteering to assist in clean-up and relief operations (ref 
A).  The local press, for example, contains numerous articles 
focusing on the generosity of the Omani people and how Omanis 
(not expatriates) have rallied together to assist others. 
Despite a government policy banning assistance from 
non-Omanis (ref A), local charities are now accepting donated 
goods (though not cash) from foreign residents and utilizing 
expatriate volunteers.  Westerners helping to accept 
donations report considerable disorganization as volunteers 
and charity officials attempt to sort and deliver items to 
affected areas.  (Note:  Some well-intentioned individuals 
have donated cooked food or other highly perishable goods. 
End Note.)  Interestingly, one U.S. national volunteer 
observed several non-related Omani men and women ignoring 
cultural norms by working together side-by-side.  Some of the 
women had discarded their traditional abayas, while some of 
the men had taken off their dishdash in favor of T-shirts and 
athletic garb (even shorts!). 
 
---------------------------------------- 
 
MUSCAT 00000590  002 OF 003 
 
 
WATER SHORTAGES, LOOTING HINDER RECOVERY 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Despite the progress noted above, major challenges 
to storm recovery efforts in and around the Muscat area 
remain.  While an increasing number of city neighborhoods 
have power and at least limited water service, some areas of 
metropolitan Muscat -- particularly those that experienced 
major flooding and/or are near "wadis" that overflowed during 
the cyclone -- still have no electrical service or water. 
With temperatures back to their oppressive summer levels, 
many residents of these areas have not been able to live in 
their homes.  Moreover, some contacts have related stories of 
organized looting of temporarily abandoned homes, leading 
some homeowners to have at least one family member stand 
guard over their possessions until their homes are once again 
habitable. 
 
---------------------------------- 
FEW HEALTH CONCERNS FOR THE MOMENT 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Although flood waters from the storm receded 
fairly quickly, stagnant pools of standing water - some quite 
large - remain in several parts of the city.  Authorities are 
attempting to pump the water out, but progress is slow and 
the water could potentially flood the sewer system, seep into 
city water pipes (thereby contaminating municipal water 
supplies), and serve as a breeding ground for insects and 
disease.  Local press on June 11 confirmed widespread cases 
of diarrhea in the city, but the Ministry of Health stated 
that it does not expect "a pandemic outbreak."  Post has 
learned that hospitals are taking in significant numbers of 
children with dysentery and other intestinal problems as a 
result of drinking unclean water. 
 
------------------------------------ 
RESTORING TRANSPORTATION A CHALLENGE 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Many stretches of road in the Muscat region that 
were completely washed out by the cyclone - as well as 
numerous collapsed bridges - will require considerable time, 
in some cases months, to be rebuilt and reopen.  The current 
closure of these roads and bridges has already caused huge 
traffic jams in Muscat as more and more residents attempt to 
return to their jobs and venture out onto the roads to 
conduct normal tasks.  Traffic problems are further 
exacerbated by shocking numbers of rubberneckers, some coming 
from as far as the UAE, to see the havoc wrought by Gonu. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Farther afield, some coastal towns on the outskirts 
of Muscat, including Qurayat and Amirat, were almost 
completely cut-off for several days after the storm by 
damaged roads and reachable only by 4-wheel drive.  Contacts 
report that a few vehicles delivering aid to some of these 
towns have been vandalized by mobs of residents desperate for 
food, water and other necessities.  Road crews have since 
opened a narrow passage to Qurayat and Amirat (quickly 
overwhelmed by traffic), but supplies there and in other more 
isolated areas are still very limited. 
 
-------------------------------- 
STORM'S HUMAN TOLL STILL UNKNOWN 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) While the official death toll remains at 49, one 
Royal Oman Police (ROP) contact told poloff that he expects 
that number will exceed 100 as more information comes in from 
areas outside Muscat.  A physician at Royal Hospital (located 
near hard-hit neighborhoods in western Muscat) reported that 
the number of storm-related injuries appeared to be 
relatively low, and that his hospital's emergency room 
handled 57 patients on June 7, 15 of whom had injuries 
directly related to Gonu.  On June 8, he added, the number of 
such injuries dropped to seven. 
 
------------------- 
HEAVY DAMAGE IN SUR 
------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) While reports and observations of damage were 
relatively quick to come in from Muscat, the situation in the 
city of Sur - about 170 kilometers down the Omani coast - has 
until very recently remained unclear.  Rumors abounded that 
 
MUSCAT 00000590  003 OF 003 
 
 
Sur and surrounding villages, which were hardest hit during 
the evening of June 5 (many hours before Muscat), had been 
severely damaged.  (Note:  The industrial port city of Sohar 
north of Muscat appears to have sustained less damage and 
flooding than the capital as it was farther removed from the 
eye of the cyclone.  End Note.)  All principal roads leading 
to Sur were completely washed out during the storm and no 
telephone calls (via cell phones or land lines) were able to 
reach the city for several days afterwards.  According to 
early government reports, the Omani military launched an 
emergency relief operation via sea to provide assistance to 
beleaguered residents of the area. 
 
¶10.  (C) On June 10, two teams of U.S. military members 
currently in Oman for training with the Omani armed forces 
attempted to reach Sur from Muscat via 4-wheel drive vehicles 
on two different routes -- one through roads in the Omani 
interior, the other along coastal roads.  The team taking the 
coastal route observed, but was able to get around, several 
washed out roadways and bridges before turning back at the 
town of Tiwi approximately 28 miles north of Sur due to a 
destroyed land bridge.  (Note:  The team saw a road 
construction crew actively working to construct a new bridge. 
 End Note.)  They noted intact cell phone transmitter towers 
along the way, but no cell phone coverage was available.  The 
team taking the inland route was able to reach Sur 
approximately 3.5 hours after departing Muscat, although they 
observed several stretches of washed out road and a destroyed 
bridge that they were able to bypass.  The team passed 
several Omani military trucks carrying water, diapers, 
mattresses, blankets and other supplies on their journey, and 
reported that the cell phone network was operational along 
the entire route. 
 
¶11.  (C) According to the U.S. military teams, Sur remains 
without power and water, although cell phone coverage in the 
city has been restored.  The Omani army post outside of Sur 
appeared fully intact and was busy with activity, including 
multiple helicopters taking off and landing.  City streets 
were full of mud, and residents reported that a tidal surge 
and flooding wadis had submerged some city buildings and 
knocked down walls and other structures.  Strong winds, they 
continued, had blown out many windows and sheared the tops 
off of palm trees.  Most buildings, however, appeared 
structurally intact, as did the large liquefied natural gas 
(LNG) facility.  The team spoke with three U.S. citizens 
(whose names were provided by the Embassy consular section), 
who reported that all known Americans were in good condition. 
 One Amcit noted that he was "impressed" by the way the Omani 
military had quickly flown and shipped in supplies after the 
cyclone.  Other residents also expressed relative 
satisfaction with relief and clean-up efforts, although items 
other than basic necessities were in short supply and 
gasoline was being strictly rationed.  It is unknown how much 
assistance has been able to reach villages outside of Sur in 
this hard-hit region. 
 
----------------------------- 
COMMENT:  WHERE'S THE SULTAN? 
----------------------------- 
 
¶12.  (C) The Omani government appears to be doing a credible 
job in recovering from the immediate impact of tropical 
cyclone Gonu.  Its resources, however, are limited and 
pressing needs, as described above, will likely remain for 
some time.  Long-term, the country will require a huge 
investment to rebuild destroyed or damaged infrastructure and 
public facilities.  In addition to telling stories of 
destruction and hardship, many people in Oman are quietly 
(and in some instances, not so quietly) asking, "Where is the 
Sultan?"  The Sultan's absence from public and the lack of 
official statements from the palace or from the cabinet 
during and after the storm are puzzling even to senior Omani 
officials and could affect the popularity and admiration the 
Sultan has long enjoyed from both Omanis and expatriates. 
Others are questioning the continuing decision not to accept 
the many offers of foreign assistance (ref A), including from 
the U.S., UK, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others.  End Comment. 
 
GRAPPO