Even as Hurricane Irma ravaged parts of Florida state, the Oman Cultural Attaché in Washington said a mandatory evacuation notice was issued to the Omani students studying at universities of south Florida, particularity in Miami.
Most of these universities remained closed during the storm.
According to Talal Mohammed al Balushi, the cultural attaché, the higher education institutions in the middle and north of Florida, which have been closed for evacuation, have not received a “compulsory clearing” as they will not be directly affected by the storm.
A total of 450 Omani students are studying in Florida. They were in contact with their families in Oman when the hurricane struck Florida.
Meanwhile, Irma flooded several northern Florida cities with heavy rain and a high surge of seawater on Monday, as residents of the part of the state first walloped by the storm tried to return to their homes.
Irma, once ranked as one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, cut power to millions of people and ripped roofs off homes as it hit a wide swath of Florida over the past day. With sustained winds of up to 105 kph, Irma was located about 113 km east of the Florida state capital Tallahassee and headed towards the Georgia border, the National Hurricane Center said at 11 am.
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