Starting as a disturbance in the Arabian Sea, Cyclone Kelia moved across the Omani coast. By Tuesday, Kelia was just off shore. Rain and other affiliated affects from the cyclone could be felt from Salalah to Muscat and even to bits of Iran which is 950 kilometers northeast. On Monday, the Joint Typhoon Warning Cneter (JTWC) issued the first warning on Cyclone 3A, the third cyclone to form in the Arabian Sea this year. After close watch the JTWC observed Cyclone Keila made landfall 88 kilometers northeast of Salalah. Flash flooding occurred and took 6 lives from across the country. One Omani civilian was washed away in Muscat, the country's capital, when the man tried to cross a shallow-flooded area. A woman and her child died in their vehicle when the car was caught in a fast-moving current. Rising floods have also caused the immediate evacuation of patients from a hospital in Hamriyah. The Oman region has seen more rainfall this week then it would in the average year. Due to lack of prevalent rain much of the Oman infrastructure is not built to with stand water pressure. Drains, run offs and strength of the infrastructure are all being challenged. Oman typically sees one cyclone a year. In 2010 Cyclone Phet brought massive flooding and Cyclone Gonu was responsible for more than 70 lives in 2007. BM
