C-NE7-01141: OMAN THREE WEEKS AFTER GONU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MUSCAT 000654

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2016
TAGS: PGOV AMER AMGT KSAC KHLS PINR MU
SUBJECT: C-NE7-01141: OMAN THREE WEEKS AFTER GONU

REF: A. MUSCAT 638


B. MUSCAT 596

C. MUSCAT 590

Classified By: CDA Alfred F. Fonteneau for Reasons 1.4 (b, d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Oman and its capital continue to recover from
tropical cyclone Gonu. A majority of Muscat residents have
returned to their pre-storm lives and daily routines, but a
lack of building contractors and heavy flood damage in areas
have prevented the re-opening of some businesses and the
return of thousands of displaced persons. Despite reliable
reports that at least several hundred Omanis and foreign
nationals died in the storm, the government continues to
report a confirmed death toll of 49. Foremost on the minds
of many Omanis is compensation for losses to personal
property. The government is moving quickly to assess and
inventory such losses, but it is unclear how much money will
be provided to claimants seeking financial assistance.
Private individuals and businesses continue to donate both
funds and goods for storm victims; mosque imams in unaffected
areas of the country joined efforts with tribal sheikhs and
community leaders to deliver aid to coastal regions. End
Summary.

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SLOW RETURN TO NORMALCY
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2. (U) Three weeks after Gonu struck Oman, daily life has
returned to near "normal" for the large majority of Muscat
residents who experienced only minor or no flooding during
the storm. Power, water and trash collection services have
been restored to pre-storm levels in most city neighborhoods
and traffic jams caused by damaged roads and bridges have
been eased by the usual summer exodus of many residents, both
Omani and expatriates, leaving on extended vacations.
Continuing volunteer operations have cleaned up Muscat's
principal beaches (which suffered heavy erosion); even
roadside flower beds are being replaced. Despite the
continued presence of standing water in some areas, the
Ministry of Health claimed on June 5 that there have been no
outbreaks of cholera or other diseases in the country.


3. (U) In addition to ongoing recovery efforts described in
ref A, the government of Oman has begun to authorize funds
for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure. On June
26, Minister of National Economy Ahmad Macki announced that
the government approved a first tranche of 76 million Omani
rials (USD 197.6 million) to repair or rebuild roads and
other public works in storm-affected areas.

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ANYONE KNOW A GOOD CARPENTER?
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4. (SBU) Vestiges of the cyclone in the capital, however,
are still readily apparent. Most stores and businesses in
the heavily hit Qurum commercial district, including major
shopping complexes, remain closed, for example. The
thousands of individuals whose homes were destroyed or made
uninhabitable remain in shelters or living with relatives or
friends as the government scrambles to find temporary
accommodations for the displaced. Many home and business
owners complain that they are unable to find contractors
available to perform repair work given the huge demand for,
and the limited number of, such tradesmen.

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DEATH TOLL REMAINS FROZEN
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5. (C) The government-confirmed death toll from Gonu has
remained at 49 for roughly two weeks. Despite predictions
that this count would be revised upwards (ref A),it now
appears that the government will not adjust casualty figures.
While there is no reliable way to independently estimate the
number of those who perished from the storm, contacts at
hospital morgues and within the police suggest that at least
several hundred people died on account of the cyclone. Why
the Omani government would choose to purposely underreport
this number is unknown. Some contacts speculate that senior
security and civil defense officials have resisted raising
the death toll because it would expose the government, and
their offices in particular, to criticism for not doing a
better job in preparing for or responding to the cyclone.

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MUSCAT 00000654 002 OF 002


LOCAL PRESS AVOIDS CRITICISM
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6. (SBU) The local press continues to mostly praise the
government for its handling of the storm. The occasional
dissenting article does appear, but these normally focus on
allegations of poor urban planning. A June 25 editorial in
Arabic daily "Al Watan," for example, stated: "Gonu showed
that some roads quickly collapsed as if they were made out of
paper. We hope that the new roads will be built according to
appropriate standards." After a lengthy absence from the
media, Sultan Qaboos reappeared in newspapers on June 26, but
only in pictures and articles related to his presenting of an
award for "distinguished service" to the outgoing Yemeni
ambassador.

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OMANIS FOCUS ON FINANCIAL ISSUES
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7. (SBU) While Omanis are still talking about the Sultan's
whereabouts during and after Gonu (ref A),conversations
related to the cyclone currently focus predominantly on one
issue: compensation. The government committee established
to assess and create an inventory of personal property damage
(ref C) has formally met at least three times and sent
numerous inspection teams, including some volunteers, to
survey affected areas. According to news reports, more than
70,000 homes have been initially assessed and over 30,000
applications have been received for government money to help
pay for personal property losses. Government officials have
made clear that any claim for compensation must be supported
by proper documentation, and that there is no "right" to
receive a certain sum of money or full replacement costs.


8. (C) Financial assistance to meet daily living expenses is
already being provided by the government to some Omanis who
suffered heavy losses from Gonu. As reported previously, the
Oman Charitable Organization (OCO) and private groups
continue to supplement this aid with food and other donated
items. Some wealthy business owners have also made
significant financial contributions to relief efforts.
Contacts claim that rival brothers Saud and Suhail Bahwan,
among the richest men in Oman, have quietly given almost 20
million Omani rials (USD 52 million) to help storm victims,
including through depositing 100 rials (USD 260) directly
into the accounts of needy families and individuals. On June
24, Bank Muscat announced that it would provide one-year,
interest-free loans up to 1,500 Omani rials (USD 3,900) for
families in need after the cyclone. (Note: It was inferred
that only specific persons would be eligible for such loans.
End Note.) Although mosques in Muscat have not played a
significant role in collecting or distributing aid (ref A),
contacts reports that imams in towns and villages without OCO
branches in southern Oman and the interior, which were
largely untouched by the cyclone, joined with tribal sheikhs
and community leaders to collect money and supplies for
delivery in private vehicles to affected areas.
FONTENEAU