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) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶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. -------------- SLOW RETURN TO NORMALCY -------------- ¶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. -------------- ANYONE KNOW A GOOD CARPENTER? -------------- ¶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. -------------- DEATH TOLL REMAINS FROZEN -------------- ¶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. -------------- MUSCAT 00000654 002 OF 002 LOCAL PRESS AVOIDS CRITICISM -------------- ¶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. -------------- OMANIS FOCUS ON FINANCIAL ISSUES -------------- ¶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