Cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ At 150kmph To Hit Gujarat Tomorrow, 30 Thousand Relocated To Shelter Homes

As several government agencies mounted a feverish evacuation in Gujarat’s coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch on Tuesday, more than 30,000 people had been relocated to shelter homes in preparation for the catastrophic effects of Cyclone Biparjoy, which is predicted to make landfall on Thursday evening near the port of Jakhau with winds of 125–135 kph gusting to 150 kph.

Two further fatalities were recorded in the state as the system drew nearer, bringing the total number of storm-related deaths prior to Biparjoy’s landfall to five.

According to the forecast, the cyclone over the northeastern Arabian Sea diminished from a “extremely severe cyclonic storm” to a “very severe cyclonic storm,” but it would still have “extensive damage potential” when it enters the state.

IMD head Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned that isolated areas in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, and Porbandar could see extremely severe rainfall (above 20 cm).

Ramkanya Bannosingh, a woman from MP, was one of two new fatalities in Gujarat brought on by stormy weather ahead of cyclone Biparjoy’s anticipated impact. Another person was hurt when a spray drying chimney in a ceramic plant close to Belgam fell.

Another incidence was the death of Naran Lodhar, 35, who was crushed to death under a collapsed, decaying structure in Porbanda.
Around 14,088 of the evacuees were in Kutch, with 5,000 in Devbhumi Dwarka, 4,000 in Rajkot, 2,000 in Morbi, over 1,500 in Jamnagar, 550 in Porbandar, and 500 in Junagadh district and 500 in Porbander out which 284 pregnant ladies are among them said Alok Kumar Pandey, the state relief commissioner.

According to Kutch administration officials, 7,278 additional residents of the area who live within a 5- to 10-kilometer beachfront radius will be relocated on Wednesday. On June 12, 120 communities across seven talukas began the process of being evacuated.

MD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned of the threat of flooding. “We won’t be surprised if these areas record more than 25cm of rainfall. Usually, this region does not receive such intense precipitation at this time of the year. Therefore, there is a risk of flooding in the low-lying areas,” he said.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall as a “very severe cyclonic storm”. “The damage potential could be extensive… Tidal waves reaching heights of up to six metres could inundate low-lying coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch,” said Mohapatra.

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