When I came here I literally travelled into the storm. I arrived around 24 hours before the cyclone ‘Shaheen’ was supposed to hit the northern coast of Oman. So no time for long introductions or sightseeing, but I had to hit the ground running. Within the first 24 hours after landing I had to pick up my car, get to my apartment and buy the necessary things to make the place livable and provisions for a few days.

After the first night with strong winds and heavy rainfall the streets of Muscat started flooding. Especially the roads leading over the larger riverbeds were soon unusable.

The region of Muscat in general only sustained minor floodings and uprooted trees. Further to the west, in the region of as-Suwaiq, where the eye of the storm made landfall, the damages were far bigger. In total the cyclone and its aftermath killed 14 people, the damages to general infrastructure, livestock, and housing will still take time to be assessed. Throughout Oman the solidarity with the victims is huge and volunteers are assisting by all means.