Recovery operations from the cyclone that hit Mukalla, Yemen’s fifth largest city, on Tuesday will be hampered by the lack of disaster recovery plan, poor infrastructure and the months-long war.

The city whose population is estimated at 300,000 is understood to have been run by Al-Qaeda fighters since the government’s withdrawal from power early this year.

Cyclones are a rare occurence in Yemen, which has an arid climate.The one that hit Mukalla on Tuesday is described as the most intense in decades, causing a major flooding on city streets and dozens of families to flee to a hospital for fear of rock slides, according to a report by London-based Reuters.

It is understood that the city’s seafront promenade and many homes had been destroyed by the cyclone. Reuters quoted officials in the dry hinterland province of Shabwa stating that about 6,000 people had moved to higher ground.