Indian state prepares for worst cyclone in more than 20 years
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AHMEDABAD • Nearly 150,000 people have been moved from their homes in the Indian state of Gujarat to safety and the authorities closed ports and a main airport as the most intense cyclone in more than two decades roared up the west coast.
Cyclone Tauktae killed at least 12 people and left a trail of destruction as it brushed past the coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka and Goa, the authorities have said. It was set to make landfall in Gujarat late yesterday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) categorised the storm, which formed in the Arabian Sea, as "extremely severe", upgrading it from the "very severe" category.
The cyclone, with sustained surface wind speeds of 180-190kmh and gusts of up to 210kmh that put it on a par with a Category 3 hurricane, is rated one level below the IMD's super cyclone category.
Besides the 12 deaths in Goa and Karnataka, 28 fishing boats were missing, a coastguard official told Reuters.
Gujarat's state administration moved nearly 150,000 people from coastal communities and deployed more than 50 disaster response teams. The Gujarat Maritime Board, the state's port regulator, ordered the hoisting of signals VIII to X, indicating great danger, at ports in the state. India's largest private port at Mundra suspended operations for the day, an official there told Reuters.
The authorities are also concerned about the state's Asiatic lions, an endangered species found only in the Saurashtra region where the cyclone is expected to inflict maximum damage. "There are around 40 lions in some patches in coastal Saurashtra, and we are monitoring them. Some lions have already moved to higher ground. We are keeping fingers crossed, and praying the lions will be safe," said principal chief conservator of forests Shyamal Tikadar.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said all measures were being taken, adding: "These are special circumstances. The administration is busy with the Covid-19 challenges, and is now gearing up to deal with the impact of the cyclone."
REUTERS
