Cyclone Gonu - Aftermath and Records

Aftermath and Records

The Muscat International Airport reopened after three days while Fujairah reopened on June 7 after it was closed the day before. The cyclone caused little impact to oil facilities along its path; after the initial price rises, oil dropped over USD2 per barrel as a result. Across the northern Arabian Sea, the passage of Gonu produced stronger winds and significant upwelling – an oceanographic phenomenon that involves the replacement of the nutrient-depleted surface water with deeper nutrient-rich water; the passage caused a significant increase in phytoplankton. Additionally, the cyclone delayed the arrival of the Indian Ocean south-west monsoon in the Western Ghats in India.

In Oman, production of desalinated water was interrupted, as both of Oman's desalination plants failed. The first, Ghubrah, lost supplies of natural gas, halting production; while the second, Barka, sustained a damaged switchgear due to flooding. These plants provided water to Muscat's 631,000 residents and surrounding areas, triggering severe water shortages across eastern Oman. To rectify the situation, officials used water tanks. The water returned to near normal in five days, as the two plants returned to service. Additionally, electricians worked quickly to repair the power outages across the region. Five days after Gonu hit, utilities were restored to most of Muscat and the coastal provinces. The Omani army assisted residents in returning to their houses. Even though the Omani government did not request any international aid, the United States offered assistance through naval ships in the area; this was eventually rejected. The country lost an estimated $200 million (2007 USD) in oil exports. In the months after the storm, the government allocated funds for the removal of debris and trees, as well as restoration of roads in tourist areas. Additionally, the National Committee for Civil Defence set up 139 buildings to provide temporary housing for 8,192 people. Services such as water and electricity were gradually restored, and people returned to their homes. By two weeks after the storm's passage, most of those remaining in shelters were from Qurayat, one of the most severely affected villages.

After the passage of the cyclone, the Iran chapter of the Red Cross and its volunteers worked in conjunction with the military to distribute relief supplies to villages using trucks and helicopters. The branch in Sistan and Baluchestan Province distributed over 10,000 blankets, 1,300 tents, 400 clothing items, 82,000 loaves of bread, and 87,000 bottles of water to affected citizens. In total, 61,558 families received aid from the Red Cross in Iran. The Iranian government provided monetary relief to the affected people. Officials worked to restore roads, bridges, and power systems in the affected areas, although repairs were more difficult in some locations; by a week after the storm, several villages remained surrounded by floodwaters.

Cyclone Gonu set several intensity records. When it became a very severe cyclonic storm on June 3, Gonu became the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea. Later, it became the only super cyclonic storm, which is a tropical cyclone with 3-min sustained winds of at least 220 km/h (140 mph), in the region. The JTWC estimated peak winds of 270 km/h (165 mph). Based on their estimate, Gonu was tied with the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone for the strongest tropical cyclone in the entire northern Indian Ocean, and had the highest windspeed of any cyclone in this basin. On June 6, Gonu made landfall in extreme eastern Oman with winds of 150 km/h (90 mph), making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record to strike the Arabian Peninsula. With a damage total of $4.2 billion (2007 USD) and 50 deaths, Gonu became the worst natural disaster on record in Oman. Additionally, the storm was only the second cyclonic storm on record to strike Iran, the other doing so on June 4, 1898.