VZCZCXRO7212
RR RUEHDE RUEHDIR
DE RUEHMS #0654/01 1781329
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 271329Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8453
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000654 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2016 
TAGS: PGOV AMER AMGT KSAC KHLS PINR MU
SUBJECT: C-NE7-01141: OMAN THREE WEEKS AFTER GONU 
 
REF: A. MUSCAT 638 
 
     ¶B. MUSCAT 596 
     ¶C. MUSCAT 590 
 
Classified By: CDA Alfred F. Fonteneau for Reasons 1.4 (b, d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1.  (C) Oman and its capital continue to recover from 
tropical cyclone Gonu.  A majority of Muscat residents have 
returned to their pre-storm lives and daily routines, but a 
lack of building contractors and heavy flood damage in areas 
have prevented the re-opening of some businesses and the 
return of thousands of displaced persons.  Despite reliable 
reports that at least several hundred Omanis and foreign 
nationals died in the storm, the government continues to 
report a confirmed death toll of 49.  Foremost on the minds 
of many Omanis is compensation for losses to personal 
property.  The government is moving quickly to assess and 
inventory such losses, but it is unclear how much money will 
be provided to claimants seeking financial assistance. 
Private individuals and businesses continue to donate both 
funds and goods for storm victims; mosque imams in unaffected 
areas of the country joined efforts with tribal sheikhs and 
community leaders to deliver aid to coastal regions.  End 
Summary. 
 
----------------------- 
SLOW RETURN TO NORMALCY 
----------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Three weeks after Gonu struck Oman, daily life has 
returned to near "normal" for the large majority of Muscat 
residents who experienced only minor or no flooding during 
the storm.  Power, water and trash collection services have 
been restored to pre-storm levels in most city neighborhoods 
and traffic jams caused by damaged roads and bridges have 
been eased by the usual summer exodus of many residents, both 
Omani and expatriates, leaving on extended vacations. 
Continuing volunteer operations have cleaned up Muscat's 
principal beaches (which suffered heavy erosion); even 
roadside flower beds are being replaced.  Despite the 
continued presence of standing water in some areas, the 
Ministry of Health claimed on June 5 that there have been no 
outbreaks of cholera or other diseases in the country. 
 
¶3.  (U) In addition to ongoing recovery efforts described in 
ref A, the government of Oman has begun to authorize funds 
for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.  On June 
26, Minister of National Economy Ahmad Macki announced that 
the government approved a first tranche of 76 million Omani 
rials (USD 197.6 million) to repair or rebuild roads and 
other public works in storm-affected areas. 
 
----------------------------- 
ANYONE KNOW A GOOD CARPENTER? 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Vestiges of the cyclone in the capital, however, 
are still readily apparent.  Most stores and businesses in 
the heavily hit Qurum commercial district, including major 
shopping complexes, remain closed, for example.  The 
thousands of individuals whose homes were destroyed or made 
uninhabitable remain in shelters or living with relatives or 
friends as the government scrambles to find temporary 
accommodations for the displaced.  Many home and business 
owners complain that they are unable to find contractors 
available to perform repair work given the huge demand for, 
and the limited number of, such tradesmen. 
 
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DEATH TOLL REMAINS FROZEN 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) The government-confirmed death toll from Gonu has 
remained at 49 for roughly two weeks.  Despite predictions 
that this count would be revised upwards (ref A), it now 
appears that the government will not adjust casualty figures. 
 While there is no reliable way to independently estimate the 
number of those who perished from the storm, contacts at 
hospital morgues and within the police suggest that at least 
several hundred people died on account of the cyclone.  Why 
the Omani government would choose to purposely underreport 
this number is unknown.  Some contacts speculate that senior 
security and civil defense officials have resisted raising 
the death toll because it would expose the government, and 
their offices in particular, to criticism for not doing a 
better job in preparing for or responding to the cyclone. 
 
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MUSCAT 00000654  002 OF 002 
 
 
LOCAL PRESS AVOIDS CRITICISM 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The local press continues to mostly praise the 
government for its handling of the storm.  The occasional 
dissenting article does appear, but these normally focus on 
allegations of poor urban planning.  A June 25 editorial in 
Arabic daily "Al Watan," for example, stated:  "Gonu showed 
that some roads quickly collapsed as if they were made out of 
paper.  We hope that the new roads will be built according to 
appropriate standards."  After a lengthy absence from the 
media, Sultan Qaboos reappeared in newspapers on June 26, but 
only in pictures and articles related to his presenting of an 
award for "distinguished service" to the outgoing Yemeni 
ambassador. 
 
-------------------------------- 
OMANIS FOCUS ON FINANCIAL ISSUES 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) While Omanis are still talking about the Sultan's 
whereabouts during and after Gonu (ref A), conversations 
related to the cyclone currently focus predominantly on one 
issue:  compensation.  The government committee established 
to assess and create an inventory of personal property damage 
(ref C) has formally met at least three times and sent 
numerous inspection teams, including some volunteers, to 
survey affected areas.  According to news reports, more than 
70,000 homes have been initially assessed and over 30,000 
applications have been received for government money to help 
pay for personal property losses.  Government officials have 
made clear that any claim for compensation must be supported 
by proper documentation, and that there is no "right" to 
receive a certain sum of money or full replacement costs. 
 
¶8.  (C) Financial assistance to meet daily living expenses is 
already being provided by the government to some Omanis who 
suffered heavy losses from Gonu.  As reported previously, the 
Oman Charitable Organization (OCO) and private groups 
continue to supplement this aid with food and other donated 
items.  Some wealthy business owners have also made 
significant financial contributions to relief efforts. 
Contacts claim that rival brothers Saud and Suhail Bahwan, 
among the richest men in Oman, have quietly given almost 20 
million Omani rials (USD 52 million) to help storm victims, 
including through depositing 100 rials (USD 260) directly 
into the accounts of needy families and individuals.  On June 
24, Bank Muscat announced that it would provide one-year, 
interest-free loans up to 1,500 Omani rials (USD 3,900) for 
families in need after the cyclone.  (Note:  It was inferred 
that only specific persons would be eligible for such loans. 
End Note.)  Although mosques in Muscat have not played a 
significant role in collecting or distributing aid (ref A), 
contacts reports that imams in towns and villages without OCO 
branches in southern Oman and the interior, which were 
largely untouched by the cyclone, joined with tribal sheikhs 
and community leaders to collect money and supplies for 
delivery in private vehicles to affected areas. 
FONTENEAU