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WORLD NEWS Friday 25 May 2018

Cyclone Mekunu pounds Yemen island on its path to Oman

By JON GAMBRELL in need of "urgent" aid, ac- er, are rare. Over a roughly
Associated Press cording to SABA. 100-year period ending
SALALAH, Oman (AP) — The island, listed by UNES- in 1996, only 17 recorded
Cyclone Mekunu roared CO as a world natural heri- cyclones struck Oman. In
over the Yemeni island tage site, has been the fo- 2007, Cyclone Gonu tore
of Socotra in the Arabian cus of a dispute between through the sultanate and
Sea on its way to Oman the United Arab Emirates later even reached Iran,
on Thursday, sending tor- and Yemen's international- causing $4 billion in dam-
rents of water rushing down ly recognized government age in Oman alone and kill-
streets and sinking at least amid that country's war af- ing over 70 people across
two ships. At least 17 peo- ter Shiite rebels, known as the Mideast.
ple were reported missing Houthis, seized the Yemeni The last hurricane-strength
in the powerful storm. capital, Sanaa. storm to strike within 100
Indian meteorologists ex- Saudi troops recently de- miles (160 kilometers) of
pected the "very severe" ployed on Socotra as a Salalah came in May 1959,
cyclone to strike Oman on confidence-building mea- according to the U.S. Na-
Saturday near Salalah, the sure over complaints by Ye- tional Oceanic and At- Men walk on a road flooded after heavy rain and strong winds
sultanate's third-largest city men's government that the mospheric Administration's caused damage in Hadibu as Cyclone Mekunu pounded the
and home to some 200,000 UAE deployed troops there archives. However, that Yemeni island of Socotra, Thursday, May 24, 2018.
people near the country's without its permission. cyclone was categorized Associated Press
border with Yemen. Socotra has a unique eco- as a Category 1 hurricane,
Mekunu's sustained winds system and is home to rare meaning it only had winds dives, is on track to po- Late on Thursday night, all
reached 155 kph (96 mph), species of plants, land snail of up to 95 mph (152 kph). tentially be a Category 2 was quiet in Salalah, the
with gusts reaching 175 kph and reptile species that Mekunu, which means hurricane. It also comes just hometown of Oman's long-
(109 mph), India said. can be found nowhere "mullet" in Dhivehi, the lan- days after Cyclone Sagar time ruler, Sultan Qaboos
Yemen's pro-government else around the planet. It guage spoken in the Mal- struck Somalia. bin Said. q
SABA news agency report- is known for its flower-and-
ed that 17 people were fruit-bearing dragon blood
missing after two ships cap- tree, which resembles an
sized in the storm and three umbrella and gets its name
vehicles washed away. It from the dark red sap it se-
said Yemen's government, cretes.
exiled in Saudi Arabia, had A cyclone is the same as
declared Socotra a "disas- a hurricane or a typhoon;
ter" zone after the storm. their names only change
Soaking wet residents at- because of their location.
tempted to find shelter from Hurricanes are spawned
the storm, which brought east of the international
heavy rain, flooding and date line. Typhoons de-
mudslides. velop west of the line. They
Mohammed al-Arqabi, a are known as cyclones in
resident of the island who the Indian Ocean and Aus-
works as a local journal- tralia.
ist, described the situation Seasonal rains are nothing
as "very bad," saying "the unusual for southern Oman
water level has greatly in- this time of year. While the
creased, and floods are ev- rest of the Arabian Penin-
erywhere ... washing away sula bakes in areas where
cars." temperatures near 50 de-
"More than 200 families grees Celsius (122 degrees
have been displaced from Fahrenheit), those in the
their homes in the suburbs sleepy port city of Salalah
of Hadibu and areas close enjoy rainy weather that
to the northern coast," he sees fog and cool air wrap
said. "Two Indian cargo around its lush mountain-
ships have gone missing, sides. Temperatures drop
losing five of their crew down around 25 degrees
members." Celsius (77 degrees Fahren-
Rajeh Bady, a spokesman heit) during its annual mon-
for Yemen's exiled govern- soon festival.
ment, said the island was Powerful cyclones, howev-