Cyclone Tauktae: Gujarat evacuates over 1.5 lakh people

Waves lash the Gateway of India walkway on Monday. Pic/AFP

With the tropical cyclone Tauktae set to cross the Gujarat coast and make a landfall as an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm' by Monday night, the state government has shifted over 1.5 lakh people to safer places and mobilised disaster response teams.

The Centre has offered all help to Gujarat to deal with the cyclone and asked the Army, Navy and the Air Force to remain on standby to assist the administration if need arises, the state government said.

As per the latest prediction of the IMD, Tauktae, which intensified into an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm', was said to cross the Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district), around 20 km east of Union territory of Diu, between 8 pm and 11 pm on Monday with maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph.

"We have so far shifted over 1.5 lakh people living near the coastline to safer places. Our government is fully prepared to deal with any situation. Various teams comprising officials of the Road and Building, Power and Forest departments were also deployed to clear roads and restore electricity," said Rupani.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have been deployed to deal with any eventuality, he said.

"The Centre is also helping us in all possible ways. That is why Gujarat has been alloted 44 teams of the NDRF. The Centre has also asked the Army, Navy and the Air Force to remain on standby to help us if need arises," the chief minister added.

The cyclone will cause light to moderate rainfall at many places in the state, heavy to very heavy showers at a few places and extremely heavy downpour at isolated places over southern districts of Saurashtra, Diu and the Gujarat region on Monday and Tuesday, the IMD said in a statement.

The sea conditions will remain ‘phenomenal' (extremely rough with very high waves) till Tuesday morning before improving, it said.

For ports located close to the cyclone's possible path, the IMD has issued directions to the authorities to hoist ‘Great Danger' signal numbers 8, 9 and 10 (indicating severe weather from a storm of great intensity), said Assistant Director, Met Centre, Manorama Mohanty.

She clarified that the world ‘landfall' applies only when the eye of the storm, not the outer periphery, hits the coast.

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No. of teams of NDRF and SDRF personnel deployed in Gujarat

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