from The Oracle, July-December 2007
On 5th June 2007 VT Communications were informed that a category 5 cyclone (Typhoon Gonu) was heading towards the BBC Oman Relay Station on the southeastern coast of Oman near the town of Aseela, causing major disruption to services throughout the country. The station was built for the BBC World Service by VT Communications in 2002, replacing the aging relay station located 100 km south on Masirah Islands which had been in operation since 1967. As part of its contract to design and build the Oman facility, VT Communications also operates and maintains the station on behalf of the BBC World Service. The station provides optimum coverage to the BBC's target audiences in the region, including those in Pakistan, India, the Arabian peninsula, Iran and Afghanistan.
The Omani authorities warned all residents to evacuate the coastline and 7000 inhabitants were taken off the island of Masirah. VT Communications employs over 35 staff at the station and at this stage all non essential staff were evacuated 40 km inland. A few engineering staff remained at the station where they were housed for the duration of the storm and equipped with satellite phones as back up for telephone networks that were out of service.
Fortunately by the time Gonu reached the site it had decreased to a category 3 cyclone as wind speeds dropped. Despite the torrential rain and the excessive winds the station escaped unscathed, apart from a few minor water leaks. Unfortunately the surrounding area was affected by quite severe flooding with many homes and businesses being destroyed. Local amenities remained closed for several days and the water and electricity supply was severely disrupted.
Despite the devastating effects of this cyclone VT Communications managed to ensure that the BBC's programming remained on the air and there was no disruption to service. The fact that the station survived relatively unscathed is a credit to the design and construction of the facility.
(Source: NASB Newsletter/Oct)
