Powerful Cyclone Phet barrels toward Oman
Tropical cyclone Phet barreled toward the coast of the Gulf Arab state of Oman on Wednesday, strengthening quickly on its way to becoming a powerful category five storm.
Phet was not expected to make landfall in Oman, but should instead turn to skim parallel to the Sultanate's shore before roaring northeast toward Pakistan, according to tropical storm watch website www.tropicalstormrisk.com.
Phet would steer clear of the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of all seaborne oil trade passes, or about 17 million barrels per day (bpd).
Phet was a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, with sustained winds of over 130 mph. It was expected to become a Category 5 storm, the most powerful with winds of over 156 mph, in the next 24 hours.
Phet would lash Oman's eastern region shores with hurricane-strength winds through Friday before moving northeast. It was expected to weaken before coming ashore just south of Karachi as a Category 3 storm on Sunday.
Oman is a small independent oil producer, pumping about 850,000 bpd. Most of its exports move from the ports of Mina al-Fahal, near the capital of Muscat. The storm was expected to turn northeast before reaching Muscat.
Operations at Oman LNG, the Sultanate's export facility for liquefied natural gas (LNG), were to date unaffected, an Oman LNG spokesperson said.
The three LNG production facilities, known as trains, are based in Sur in the eastern region, closer to the path of the storm. The region is also home to Oman's green back turtle.
"It is business as usual so far with Oman LNG but we are in touch with the authorities to see if there would be any change" Nasser al-Kindy, head of corporate communications at Oman LNG told Reuters.
Oman was battered by powerful Cyclone Gonu in 2007. The storm killed at least 54 people in Oman and Iran.
(Reporting by Saleh al-Shaibany; Writing by Simon Webb; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)
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Part of a house lies in ruins after a tornado tore through Lennox Head on the northern NSW coast on June 3, 2010. (User submitted: Jayden Allen) A witness
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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, June 2 (UPI) -- A Florida man, one of nine people shocked by a lightning bolt at Yellowstone National Park, was released from a hospital Wednesday, officials said.
Harlan Idell Jr., 57, of Leesburg was airlifted to a hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho, after the lightning struck Tuesday afternoon while he and the others were waiting for the Old Faithful geyser to gush skyward, KTVQ-TV, Billings, Mont., reported. A park spokesman said bystanders performed CPR on Idell before emergency personnel arrived.
The eight other victims suffered minor injuries such as shortness of breath, tingling and numbness. Seven were treated and released from a local clinic, while the eighth did not require medical attention.
KBZK-TV, Bozeman, Mont., reported the nine victims were on a boardwalk or walkways when a small storm produced the single lightning bolt.
Park spokesman Al Nash told the TV station 11 people were injured, one seriously, in a similar lightning incident in June 2005http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/06/02/9-survive-Yellowstone-lightning-strike/UPI-34241275531971/
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No disaster declaration for storm
Storm victims in northern NSW are being told to contact their insurers, with the state government unlikely to declare it a natural disaster area.
Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan said agencies were in the process of assessing the extent of damage in Lennox Head after the town was hit by a waterspout and 150km/h winds.
"At this stage it looks like most of the damage is to private properties rather than public infrastructure," Mr Whan said in a statement on Thursday.
"That means it does not appear the event meets the fixed national criteria for natural disaster relief, but we will wait for the assessments to be completed before making any determination.
"I encourage those with damage to their homes to contact their insurers or appropriate authorities to report the damage."
The wild weather tore roofs from buildings and destroyed at least 12 homes, leaving six people injured.
Bureau of Meteorology severe weather meteorologist Andrew Haigh said the tornado moved north from Lennox Head to Byron Bay before heading offshore again.
"It's heading further offshore now and that's where it will stay," he said.
Mr Haigh said the tornado - "a fast rotating column of air" - was about 100 metres wide.
"It's very unusual for this time of year, that's for sure," he said.
But it warns that anywhere south of Yamba and Byron Bay has the potential to see flash flooding.
Residents are being urged to call the State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500 if they need assistance.
A major storm destroyed homes and caused multiple injuries as a tornado crossed the coast of NSW at Lennox Head. Picture: 7News
The ambulance service has set up a triage area at the Lennox Head Bowling Club to treat the injured.
An evacuation centre has been set up at the town's Sports and Recreation Club for residents requiring temporary accommodation.
Robert Hatcher, who was working at the local service station when the storm hit, said it was like "a big steam train coming".
"I looked out the door and just off the terrace of the beach you could see debris and stuff starting to float up into the sky," he said.
"Then it got really bad and then it started hitting the houses just north of the hotel and it took all the roofs off houses, boats off trailers, knocked down fences, sheds.
"Iron and that was just flying as high as you could see in the sky."http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/local/7337598/waterspout-becomes-tornado-on-nsw-north-coast-reports/
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McCOOK — Flames burned for several hours after lightning struck an installation of oil tanks here early Thursday morning. Linn-San Manuel firefighters ...
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| Austin American-Statesman |
Austin American-Statesman
An apartment fire in North Austin that was caused by lightning Wednesday night has displaced five families, fire officials said.
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