Yemen Heightens Its Preparation as Cyclone 'Tej' Intensifies
The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) Cyclone 'Tej', in the Arabian Sea, transformed into an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) on Sunday and is likely to cross between Al Ghaidah (Yemen) and Salalah (Oman) in the early hours of October 25, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to the IMD, the very severe cyclonic storm Tej intensified to an extremely severe cyclonic storm and lay about 160 km east-southeast of Socotra (Yemen), 540 km south-southeast of Salalah (Oman), and 550 km southeast of Al Ghaidah (Yemen). This would be the second cyclonic storm in the Arabian Sea this year. However, meteorologists caution that storms may sometimes deviate from the predicted track and intensity.
Authorities in Yemen have begun preparing for the consequences of the cyclonic storm in cooperation with international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO). The Emergency Committee of the Ministry of Public Health and Population held a meeting today in Aden to discuss the repercussions of the storm and the primary procedures that need to be implemented urgently.
The Emergency Director in the Ministry of Health was assigned to prepare a detailed emergency plan, which the ministry will review and approve.
Authorities in Al-Mahra, where the storm is expected to cross, ordered the suspension of the educational process at public and private schools on Sunday and Monday. According to the education office in Al-Mahra, schools will notified to reopen. The education office also ordered the evacuation of important documents, computers, and furniture from schools.
On Saturday, the head of the Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen, Rashad Al-Alimi, directed the government and local authorities to raise the state of preparedness and double the preemptive measures and coordination between various agencies, including military and security agencies, community committees, and regional and international organizations, to limit any possible effects of the cyclonic storm in Yemen's eastern governorates.
