2008 Yemen cyclone
Encyclopedia
Deep Depression ARB 02 was the sixth tropical cyclone
of the 2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
, and the second tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea
that year. A weak tropical cyclone, it caused extensive damage in Yemen
, and minor damage in Oman
and Somalia
.
noted that an area of low pressure which located to the south east of Salalah
, Oman
had intensified in to a tropical depression and was assigned the number ARB 02. On October 21 IMD updated the system to a Deep Depression while it lay 700 km south of Salalah
, Oman
, near the east coast of Somalia
. It lost its strength while crossing the Gulf of Aden due to entry of dry air and land interaction as it passed close to the northeastern coast of Somalia. It later was downgraded to a Depression, named TC 03A by the JTWC. On October 24 it made landfall on the south-eastern coast of Yemen
, and caused severe flooding, leaving about 180 dead.
The Yemen
i governorates of Hadhramaut
, Lahij
, Al Mahrah
and Ta'izz
were affected the worst by the flood
s, and most of the fatalities were in Hadhramaut.
starting on October 23, as the remnants of a tropical cyclone moved over the area. Rain continued, with weather systems coming in from neighbouring Saudi Arabia
and southern Somalia
, resulting in severe flooding in some areas of Yemen.
Thousands of families fled Hadhramaut alone; many schools were used as evacuee shelters, but these could only accommodate 10% of the affected. According to search and rescue teams, the number of fatalities may increase due to the likelihood of people trapped in flooded houses. Electricity and telephone lines were disrupted, and many homes were damaged.
Survivors were seen signalling to rescue helicopters in Hadramout and Mahra, which had seen at least 30 hours of heavy rain. A Yemeni official was quoted as saying, "About 7,000 people have been made homeless and there are about 100 dead or missing."
Along with fatalities, approximately 730 homes were destroyed, along with businesses and other infrastructure projects. The severe thunder of the preceding thunderstorms resulted in at least nine deaths from lightning
in the Al Mahrah, Ta'izz and Lahij governorates. The rain also destroyed large amounts of farmland and killed large numbers of livestock.
The Yemeni government promised to supply tent
s as a means of emergency shelter
, along with other emergency supplies, with six transport aircraft loaded with supplies taking off from Sanaa
on Saturday and more scheduled for later. President Ali Abdullah Saleh
ordered the creation of a committee to provide aid to affected civilians. Also, the United Arab Emirates
declared their intent to provide relief. However, several residents in the city of Shibam
say that government assistance and support, if any, is low.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference
declared the situation a "national catastrophe" and started a drive to collect funds for the relief of flood victims.
Yemeni president
Ali Abdullah Saleh
said, "The damages... are great and the catastrophe is also great."
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
of the 2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
2008 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 2008 North Indian cyclone season was an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The North Indian cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with peaks in May and November...
, and the second tropical cyclone in the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
that year. A weak tropical cyclone, it caused extensive damage in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, and minor damage in Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
and Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
.
Meterological history
On October 19 the India Meteorological DepartmentIndia Meteorological Department
The India Meteorological Department , also referred to as the Met Office, is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology...
noted that an area of low pressure which located to the south east of Salalah
Salalah
Salalah , is the capital and seat of the governor or Wali of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. The population of Salalah was 197,169 in 2009....
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
had intensified in to a tropical depression and was assigned the number ARB 02. On October 21 IMD updated the system to a Deep Depression while it lay 700 km south of Salalah
Salalah
Salalah , is the capital and seat of the governor or Wali of the southern Omani province of Dhofar. The population of Salalah was 197,169 in 2009....
, Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, near the east coast of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. It lost its strength while crossing the Gulf of Aden due to entry of dry air and land interaction as it passed close to the northeastern coast of Somalia. It later was downgraded to a Depression, named TC 03A by the JTWC. On October 24 it made landfall on the south-eastern coast of Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, and caused severe flooding, leaving about 180 dead.
The Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i governorates of Hadhramaut
Hadhramaut Governorate
Hadhramaut or Hadramawt is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate.-Overview:...
, Lahij
Lahij Governorate
Lahij is a governorate of Yemen.-Districts:*Al Hawtah District*Al Had District*Al Madaribah Wa Al Arah District*Al Maflahy District*Al Maqatirah District*Al Milah District*Al Musaymir District*Al Qabbaytah District*Habil Jabr District...
, Al Mahrah
Al Mahrah Governorate
Al Mahrah or Mahra is a governorate of Yemen in the southern Arabian Peninsula. Situated in the area of the former Mahra Sultanate, its capital is Al Ghaydah....
and Ta'izz
Ta'izz Governorate
Ta'izz is a governorate of Yemen. The governorate's capital is Ta'izz, which is the third largest city in Yemen. Other major towns include Al Sawa, Juha and the famous coffee port of Mocha. It has a total population of just over three million and an area of 10,677km².For such a small area, Ta'izz...
were affected the worst by the flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s, and most of the fatalities were in Hadhramaut.
Impact
The flooding was preceded by several days of rainRain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
starting on October 23, as the remnants of a tropical cyclone moved over the area. Rain continued, with weather systems coming in from neighbouring Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and southern Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, resulting in severe flooding in some areas of Yemen.
Thousands of families fled Hadhramaut alone; many schools were used as evacuee shelters, but these could only accommodate 10% of the affected. According to search and rescue teams, the number of fatalities may increase due to the likelihood of people trapped in flooded houses. Electricity and telephone lines were disrupted, and many homes were damaged.
Survivors were seen signalling to rescue helicopters in Hadramout and Mahra, which had seen at least 30 hours of heavy rain. A Yemeni official was quoted as saying, "About 7,000 people have been made homeless and there are about 100 dead or missing."
Along with fatalities, approximately 730 homes were destroyed, along with businesses and other infrastructure projects. The severe thunder of the preceding thunderstorms resulted in at least nine deaths from lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
in the Al Mahrah, Ta'izz and Lahij governorates. The rain also destroyed large amounts of farmland and killed large numbers of livestock.
Aftermath
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
s as a means of emergency shelter
Emergency shelter
Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they can't live in their previous residence, similar to homeless shelters. The main difference is that an emergency shelter typically specializes in people fleeing a specific type of situation, such as natural or man-made disasters,...
, along with other emergency supplies, with six transport aircraft loaded with supplies taking off from Sanaa
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
on Saturday and more scheduled for later. President Ali Abdullah Saleh
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Saleh previously served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 until 1990, at which time he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of a post-unification Yemen. He is the...
ordered the creation of a committee to provide aid to affected civilians. Also, the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
declared their intent to provide relief. However, several residents in the city of Shibam
Shibam
Shibam is a town in Yemen with about 7,000 inhabitants. The first known inscription about the city dates from the 3rd century AD...
say that government assistance and support, if any, is low.
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Upon the groups's renaming, some sources provided the English-language translation "Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation", but and have since indicated the preferred English translation omits the "the". is an international organisation consisting of 57...
declared the situation a "national catastrophe" and started a drive to collect funds for the relief of flood victims.
Yemeni president
President of Yemen
The President of the Republic of Yemen is the head of state of Yemen.Under the Constitution of Yemen, the president is also the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of the executive branch of the Yemeni government....
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Field Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh is the first President of the Republic of Yemen. Saleh previously served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 until 1990, at which time he assumed the office of chairman of the Presidential Council of a post-unification Yemen. He is the...
said, "The damages... are great and the catastrophe is also great."