Over 35,000 evacuated as Gujarat braces for Cyclone Biparjoy
Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall in Gujarat’s Saurashtra and Kutch regions and adjoining Pakistan coasts on Thursday.
The storm is currently located over the east-central Arabian Sea, about 350 kilometers southwest of Porbandar.
On Tuesday, authorities in Gujarat shifted 37,800 people from coastal areas to temporary shelters in anticipation of the powerful cyclone which is expected to make landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district on Thursday.
According to officials, several NDRF and SDRF teams are on standby. The army is also prepared to assist in relief efforts, and has stationed flood relief columns at strategic locations. The army has coordinated its plans with the civil administration and the NDRF.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reviewed Gujarat’s preparedness for the cyclone in a virtual meeting with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other senior officials.
Shah asked the state government to make arrangements to move people living in vulnerable areas to safer locations, and to ensure that all essential services, including electricity, telecommunications, healthcare, and drinking water, are available in these areas.
“We have already started evacuating people residing near the coast who are likely to be affected the most during the landfall. So far, various district administrations have shifted nearly 30,000 people to temporary shelters,” said Alok Kumar Pandey, State Commissioner of Relief said.