Schools in parts of Muscat Governorate have been doubling as shelter for Cyclone Phet evacuees in a co-ordinated relief effort mounted by a number of government ministries and agencies, with the support of volunteer groups. One such shelter for cyclone displaced people is the Imam Nasser al Kharusi School at Mawaleh. More than 250 men, women and children, including a significant number of expatriate residents, are sheltering at the school, courtesy of the Ministry of Education.
The relief effort is being overseen by the Ministry of Social Development, while staff and volunteers affiliated to the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO) are providing hot meals and other essentials to the evacuees, according to Rahima bint Habib al Muzaffar, Head of Volunteer Services at the Ministry of Social Development. Speaking to the Observer, Rahima said those sheltering at the school were mainly displaced families and individuals from Masirah Island who were flown in by special flights into Muscat two days ago.
Scores of people from low-lying areas of Wilayat of Seeb and other neighbourhood, at risk of flooding, have also been transferred to the shelter, she said. Underlining the co-ordinated nature of the relief effort, the Ministry of Health has deputed three doctors and staff to attend to the health needs of the evacuees. Volunteers from the Scouts and Guides movement too have been helping out at the facility.
Khamisa bint Khuwal al Saltuniya, a resident of Masirah Island, joined fellow evacuees in expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the authorities for housing the cyclone displaced. "We are completely at home in our temporary shelter, thanks to the excellent care being provided by the authorities. "Besides receiving cooked meals, we have been given blankets, beddings and other necessities to make our stay here comfortable. We thank the government for all this," Khamisa commented.