Vol 30 Eman

Eman and her husband Yasser and 2 year old son went to Eman’s father and mother’s farm the day of the storm. Her parents live near Quaryyat, a large city south-east of Muscat. I think she went because she was worried about her father, who had surgery a short time ago. Eman’s brother was also there. Yasser, Eman and her brother took turns watching for signs of flooding through the night.

At 4:00 in the afternoon the next day the flood came. 10 feet of water rose and stayed for 2 hours. They watched as goats, cows and chickens were carried away by the water and drowned. Yasser told me he watched as a 10 foot by 10 foot electrical transformer box was carried away. Cars were carries away.

They stayed on the second floor and looked out the windows until the water passed. Eman told me “Susan, it was too horrible. I watched as people died before my eyes.” Their neighbors were lost. Mother, Father and three children. She saw naked women float by, dead. Her parents house was ruined but they were all safe.

When they were able Yasser, Eman and their son made their way outside and started walking. They were worried about Yasser’s parents and cell phone service was down. They walked for three hours in the sun and muck when a helicopter picked them up and brought them back to Muscat.

When they arrived at their house, which they share with Yasser’s parents, brother, sister-in-law and housemaid, they found it soaked in mud and water. They live in one of the worst hit neighborhoods in Muscat. These photos were taken by Yasser’s brother.

This was taken from the second floor. It’s their garage. You can just see the top of their garden wall which is about 5 feet high.

View of the street.

There were three cars parked inside the yard. Here are two of them. The one on the left has a car cover on it. To protect it from the storm.

Not all of the water came in as they have front steps into their house. But enough did.

The yard after the water receded and one of the cars. Note the cages.

One bird survived, the rest drowned.

The other 2 cars.

They were pushed together.

After the sun had dried the mud in one of them a bit.

Their once beautiful sitting room. Under the muck are once beautiful rugs.

Which now look like this.

The clean-up. That’s Yasser’s Father on the left, then his Mom, then the housemaid. The two guys in the background are Indian workers that they hired to help them clean. In an ironic twist, all the Indian workers in the city have been charging 70 rial per day to help everyone with their cleaning and hauling. This makes me smile because they are usually so woefully underpaid making about 1/2 rial per hour. That’s about $1.30 US. If someone is going to profit from the flood it’s nice that it’s the underdog.

Here’s the front of the house. That’s an AC unit, (air conditioning), hanging funny.

The next day. Everyone all over the flooded areas just started throwing their ruined possessions into the street. Driving through these streets now is like driving through the worst ghetto in the worst 3d world country you can think of. And as the mud dries it’s starting to smell. People have been using the water in the wadis for washing and cleaning and are getting rashes. Eman showed me her shoulders and arms the other day and they were covered in angry red bumps. It is so strange to think that just over a week ago these were really pretty neighborhoods. Yasser and Eman’s bedroom is on the 1^st floor. Everything was ruined. Their bed. Their clothes. The son’s toys.

This is their son, Mohammed. He is a total sweetie.

When Eman showed me these photos, my heart broke. I have been to their home several times. The whole family is friendly and welcoming. Eman often brings delicious curries and sweets for my lunch that she or her housemaid has made with me in mind, knowing I’m a vegetarian. I’ve always asked her how it was made hoping one day to be able to cook them for myself. Last month She brought me a large jar of Masala curry powder that Yasser’s Mom makes from spices she roasts and grinds herself. My refrigerator was finally delivered yesterday and I bought a hot plate and some groceries. Tonight I made my first curry, following the directions Eman has given me and it is actually yummy. Tomorrow morning I will make rice and take it and the curry to Eman for lunch. I’m also starting a collection for her at the office. I tried to get Eman to tell me how I can help her family. No matter what I suggested she politely refused. That night when I asked my friend Mahfood about it he explained that if you ask an Omani if you can help them they will refuse. But if you help them, they will accept. The trick is not to ask. My Mom had asked if people here typically have house insurance so I asked Eman. Nope. So sad.

OK, I think that pretty much wraps up my storm reports. The people of the city are cleaning up the mess. The stores are reopening, although not the ones in the Qurum area where that McDonalds is. People are returning to their jobs and we are busier than ever. We have seen many more emergencies than we usually do. There were quite a few dental clinics damaged by the floods and so we have taken on some of their patients. The Sultan has refused disaster relief from other countries. He wants to handle it all himself. He has already donated 7 million rial of his own money to help his people. That’s about 18 million US. A drop in the bucket, but a good start.

A final photo. I took this across from Mahfood’s house, which was miraculously not damaged. You can see the little boy’s bed behind the crumbled wall. He’s fine, that’s him on the left.

Next time you grumble that they were out of your favorite bread at the store or a vase you loved breaks imagine losing everything. This is the technique I used whenever I didn’t have water over the past week. (After I wrote that my water was back, I lost it again. And again).