Oman weather: Ibri clean-up in full swing after the storm, injured released

Muscat: Of the 11 people reported injured in a storm in Ibri on Monday, eight who were taken to Ibri Hospital were discharged yesterday morning, a hospital spokesman said.

Read here: Rainstorm injures 11 in Oman

“We had six schoolgirls come in, and only one of them was hospitalised. We had two workers who were brought in. One had hit his head on a brick (slipped) and the other fell almost four metres while trying to set up a tent,” the spokesman added.

The worker had broken his leg upon impact and required surgery.

“His leg bone was sticking out, his condition was the worst from all the storm patients and he was discharged the next day. The other three patients from the storm must have gone to another health facility, but we took the serious ones,” he added.

“The state of Ibri was exposed to a rainstorm that caused damage to the streets, light poles and uprooted trees. After the rainstorm, specialists in the municipality of Ibri started repairing the damage,” a spokesperson at the Ad Dhahirah branch of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR) said.

“There were so many electric and light poles that had been damaged, and so many trees and debris flying around during the storm. They started working on the clean up and repairs in the evening and by the morning time, it was like the storm never hit,” the spokesperson said.

“It’s still cloudy as we can expect, but it rains every year. What we saw was a little more powerful than usual but there was no extreme destruction.

At least five agencies were involved in helping either during or after the storm. The Royal Oman Police, the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance, Ibri Hospital, Ad Dhahira along with Ibri Municipality and Majan Electrics all played a role.

Oman’s Meteorology Department stated that there are no similar storms expected any time soon.

“We can expect cloud formations in Buraimi and in Ibri today, but nothing like the other day. Most of the weather we see is weak cloud formations,” a spokesperson at the Assistant Director of Forecasting and Observing Practices said.

“What Ibri witnessed on Monday is considered local formations with a strong downdraft. There was strong air coming down from the clouds that created what we saw.”