By IANS
Kendrapada (Orissa) : People across Orissa are fervently praying for the safety of their relatives living in cyclone-battered Oman, home to 386,000 Indians. Many of them have not heard from their kin since the cyclone struck.
At least 20 people, including an Indian from Kerala, died when Cyclone Gonu battered Oman's coast Wednesday with wind speed reaching up to 170 km per hour, waves of up to 12 metres and torrential rains, forcing thousands from their homes and shutting down oil installations. Eight Indians are said to be missing.
Manashi Swain, a resident of Patharapur village, has been eagerly waiting for a call from her husband Ashok Kumar, who works as a plumber for a construction firm in Sohar city in Oman.
"I saw images of the cyclone on TV and was worried about my husband. He hasn't called me for the last two days. I have gone to the temple and prayed for his safety," Manashi, 30, told IANS.
Ashok Kumar has been living in Oman for three years and had come home for a few days last year.
Over 5,000 people from the coastal district of Kendrapada, some 100 km from Bhubaneswar, alone live in the Middle East. According to Manashi, at least 50 people from the district are working with construction companies in Oman.
Many villagers like Manashi have been running from pillar to post to get some information about their relatives in Oman.
Sambhunath Rout of Padanpur village had gone to Oman in 2003, also to work as a plumber and support his aged parents back home. Now his father Padmalochan wants his son back.
Madan Mohan Sutar in Palasindha village is also concerned about his 34-year-old son Malaya, who also works as a plumber in Sohar.
Similarly, Pitamber Nayak's son works at a factory in Khabura in the Gulf country. "I came to know about the cyclone from villagers and I'm trying to find out the whereabouts of Sangram, my eldest son," he said from Jagarpada village.
Sarat Biswal has also been trying to contact his son who works in Seeb, but in vain.
The scenes of devastation shown on TV have left him and his family numb. All are hoping for a miracle and the safe return of their child.
"The Indian government has already started evacuating stranded Indians from Oman. We are also trying to help all those who have relatives working there by gathering information from various sources," said R.N. Padhi, additional district magistrate of Kendrapada.
Two control rooms have been set up – one at the Indian mission in Oman and the another at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi to assist Indian nationals.
The Indian mission is in constant touch with the Omani authorities to ascertain the safety of the Indians in that country.
Cyclone Gonu is the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea, and is tied for the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the northern Indian Ocean.
Cyclones of the severity of Gonu have been rare over the Arabian Sea, as most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly.