Muscat – Lt. Col. Mohammed Salam Al Hashami, Official Spokesman (Media Centre) of the National Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre, affirmed the activation of the centre’s sectors and subcommittees in the governorates coming under the impact of the weather condition.

In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), Lt. Col. Al Hashami said that between 7 am and 11 am the centre’s operations unit received more than 25 reports. The reports referred to vehicles being drifted by flood waters, people getting stranded in malfunctioning vehicles and gushing flood waters hitting some residences and shopping areas.

Lt. Col. Al Hashami added that the centre also received a report stating that some pupils and their teaching staff got stranded when a flash flood from Wadi Samad Al Shan suddenly surged into their school (Al-Rawda School for Basic Education) in Al Ghazl area in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi. He added that field teams immediately embarked on an operation to rescue the stranded, with support from the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Oman Police.

Lt. Col. Al Hashami pointed out that various sectors affiliated to the NCEM mobilized their teams, each operating from its own site, to deal with the weather condition.

Lt. Col. Al Hashami cautioned members of the public against any attempts to cross wadis (valleys) and advised all to stay away from dangerous places, including ponds. He added that information about the weather condition should be taken from official source.