Very Severe Cyclonic Storm “Tauktae” further intensified into an “Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm” on Monday morning, the India Meteorological Department said in its latest bulletin. A red alert, for cyclone warning and landslide lookout has been sounded in Gujarat and Diu. The Storm currently lays 120kms of Mumbai and is most likely to hit the Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district on Monday night anytime between 8pm – 11pm as a Very Severe Cyclone (150 – 160 km/hr). As cyclone Tauktae inches closer to the Mumbai coast, the India Meteorological department has upgraded the rainfall warning to “Extremely heavy” in the city for next few hours. Gusty winds will continue and escalate upto 120 kmph. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport suspended its operations from 11 am to 2 pm on May 17. A red alert has been sounded in Raigarh district and an orange alert has been declared in Mumbai. Meanwhile, gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and high tidal waves swept the coastal belt of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa as Cyclone Tauktae hurtled northwards towards Gujarat on Sunday. At least six people have died in cyclone-related incidents till now. The storms have damaged hundreds of houses, uprooted electricity poles and trees and forced evacuation at the time when India continues to grapple with a deadly Covid-19 wave.
In Kerala, two people have died after torrential rains and high tidal waves wreaked havoc. Widespread uprooting of trees, waterlogging, disruption of power has been a state-wide phenomenon since Friday night. The situation has forced the state government to shift hundreds of families to relief camps despite the risks associated with the ongoing pandemic. In terms of preparedness, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has increased the number of teams from 53 to 100. These teams are mobilised for Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra. Out of these, 48 are being pre-deployed while 20 are being kept on standby. An additional 32 teams are being kept as backup. The Indian Air Force has kept 16 transport aircraft and 18 helicopters on standby. It has also announced to focus on Covid relief operations in the affected coastal areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation yesterday and asked concerning authorities to take every possible measure to ensure that people are safely evacuated.
Mumbai gears up for heavy rain, 580 Covid patients shifted from jumbo units
From shifting 580 patients from its jumbo Covid-19 facilities to contemplating a possible shut down of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai on Saturday worked on taking several precautionary measures in view of India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) warning that Cyclone Tauktae is likely to pass close to the city on Sunday. The BMC on Saturday night shifted 580 patients from BKC (243), Dahisar (183) and Mulund (154) jumbo Covid-19 facilities to state and civic-run hospitals in Mumbai. The civic body had on Friday alerted the hospitals to avoid last-minute confusion over beds and availability of oxygen devices.
Torrential rains, heavy winds destroy houses in coastal areas, hundreds rush to relief camps
From Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasaragod in the north, hundreds of families living close to the sea have had to abandon their homes and rush to relief camps set up by the state government in the face of massive sea-incursions. The Met Department had warned of squally winds with speeds of 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph along and off the Kerala-Karnataka coast along with rough sea conditions on Saturday. Several houses close to the sea in districts like Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha have been partially or completely damaged by the impact of the cyclone.
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