Muscat: Oman was recovering on Tuesday after a bout of thunder and hailstorms that lashed the northern provinces of the country on Monday.
Thirteen Omanis and five expatriates were rescued by the Public Authority of Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) after their vehicles were swept away by flooded wadis. Until Tuesday there were no reports of casualties.
Medium to heavy rainfall lashed Muscat flooding some areas, including the Nahda (Renaissance) hospital. As many as 95 patients were evacuated from the hospital on Monday night to other government hospitals in the capital, said Ministry of Health official.
“We transferred all the patients to both Khoulah [hospital] and the Royal Hospital after the wadi Adai waters flooded the hospital and the nearby areas,” said the official. Some patients were airlifted to the two hospitals.
He said the hospital staff and equipment were safe.
Omanis on social media demanded the moving of the hospital to a safer area such as Amerat province.
This is the second time the Nahda hospital is flooded, with the first in November 2012.
The staff at Nahda hospital also demanded the Ministry of Health to compensate them after their vehicles were swept away by the wadi waters. The PACDA managed to rescue a family in Hamriyah area of Mutrah province after the wadi waters entered the family home.
The heavy rains left substantial property losses for some families. It also damaged some roads in the capital. Several accidents were reported in the capital, bringing the traffic movement to a standstill for hours.
Naser Al Masalmi, a national, told Gulf News that it took him two hours to reach his house in Bausher. “It’s the same scenario after it rains here. It floods and causes lots of traffic snarls,” Al Masalmi says.
An official at Muscat Municipality told Gulf News that most of the roads were cleared on Tuesday morning. He said traffic was smooth on all roads.
Muscat Festival events were halted on Monday in both Amerat and Naseem parks due to the rains. The northern parts of the country also witnessed medium and heavy rainfall leading to flowing wadis as well as dip in the temperatures. Both Buraimi and Mahda provinces had witnessed medium to heavy rainfall led to flooding of some wadis as well as traffic snarls.
Other provinces, like Awabi, Sohar, Nakhal, Ibri, Barka, Seeb, Khasab and Yanqul had experienced medium to heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, Jabal Shams, Al Koor, Surat and Aqbat were covered with some snows due to the sharp dip in the temperatures. Jabal Shams recorded minus 8 degree Celsius on Monday night.
A teacher at Al Surat School, located at the top of Surat Mountain in Ibri province, told Gulf News that “it is freezing” and some parts of the area were covered in snow. “I have been teaching here for the past five years, but last night was the coldest night ever for me,” the teacher said.
According to the meteorology office, the temperatures will dip in the coming days due to the impacts of the depression.
Coast Guards of the Royal Oman Police (ROP) rescued a fishing boat in Dhofar governorate. Three Asians were rescued while another died after they went fishing in Halanyat province.
