Volunteers lift spirit of Shaheen striken people

Volunteers along with defense personnel used lorries, shovels and dredging machines to clear the debris in the towns of Al Khaburah and Al Suwaiq during a national campaign on Friday. They cleaned premises and furniture, removed mud and stones washed up by the flood water, and supplied food, mattresses and blankets to the people.

Ahmed Al Riyami, Assistant Coordinator of the Relief and Shelter Sector, said: "It is expected that the number of volunteers will reach more than 15,000 volunteers, as the sector works to supervise and organise roles in cooperation with the Royal Armed Forces and other relevant authorities."

The relief and shelter sector officials have started field visits to affected homes and document data of owners, to transfer financial aid directly to their account. The National Committee for Emergency Management (NCEM) said: "The relief and shelter sector has announced the start of field visits to affected houses and documentation of data to provide financial aid by direct bank transfer to their respective accounts. Owners of the affected houses are urged to be present in order to provide the required data."

Widespread damage from the storm forced more than 5,000 people into temporary accommodation. On Thursday, the government announced it was moving people whose homes had been destroyed by the storm to fully furnished accommodations until their properties could be restored, Oman News Agency reported. The government would pay RO 1,000 to each property owner to help them repair their homes.Some roads remain blocked by mud and stones washed up by excess water in Wadis. The Royal Oman police said it was working to remove the blockages and provide food and water to those evacuated from their homes.The death toll from Cyclone Shaheen that crashed through Oman, on Thursday rose to 14 after the discovery of a body of a person who had been missing since the storm.Omani state television made the announcement, increasing the number of victims in the country to 12.