MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik hailed the collective relief efforts by civil society, public and private sectors, and military during cyclone Shaheen. 

Addressing the nation on his 66th birthday, His Majesty also ordered to establish the National Fund for Emergencies (NFE) to tackle the aftermath of tropical cyclone and similar natural disasters that may occur in future. 

“A national patriotic epic unfolded as Omani people exhibited splendid forms of solidarity, collaboration and patience. This will forever remain testimony to the strength of this nation and its ability to stand the test of time in facing adverse conditions and unfavorable circumstances. This has been an everlasting incarnation of the sacrifices made by this nation over the ages,” His Majesty said in a televised address. 

His Majesty affirmed that the top priority of the government will be to restore life to normalcy in cyclone- hit areas.  “We will also accord our attention to the restoration of the damaged infrastructure. The departments concerned already began to accomplish this objective. All government departments have to work together as one schema whose segments cooperate and complement each other to perform their duties and responsibility in the best possible manner. They have to speed up the rate of action in serving the citizens in every part of the country. The Council of Ministers has to ensure the achievement of this goal,” His Majesty noted. 

“We would also like to express our appreciation for all government and private establishments and individuals who played commendable roles in managing this crisis. We thank them for their prompt response to the handling of the situation. In particular, we note the performance of the National Commission for Emergency Management, our valiant armed forces, the Royal Oman Police, the security services, the forward-coming citizens and residents, the Shelter and Relief Sectors, the support services, the private sector firms, the non-governmental organisations, the volunteer teams—who all gave excellent examples of citizenship,” His Majesty added.