Cyclone Tauktae surging towards Gujarat, over 1.5 lakh to be evacuated

AHMEDABAD: After being spared by cyclones for two consecutive years, the crashing of very severe cyclonic storm ‘Tauktae’ on Gujarat coast looked imminent with landfall expected to be anywhere between Union territory of Diu and Mahuva in Bhavnagar district on Tuesday early morning.
Tauktae, which is moving north westwards, is likely to crash into the coast, packing winds up to 175km per hour.
In 2019, Cyclone Vayu had skirted the Gujarat coast, sparing the massive damage it could have caused if it struck while cyclone Nisarga in 2020 that hit Mumbai only poured heavy rain in parts of south Gujarat.
This could possibly be the strongest tropical cyclone to hit Gujarat after the 1998 cyclone that flattened Kandla.
Chief minister Vijay Rupani said, “With the aim of zero human casualty, 44 NDRF teams, assisted by SDRF and fire brigade teams of civic bodies have been deployed along coastal areas for rescue and relief work.” He appealed to citizens not to venture out of homes except for emergencies for the next two days.
By Monday evening, close to 1.5 lakh people living in coastal villages of Saurastra districts and Kutch are expected to be shifted to safer locations as extremely strong winds and high tidal waves are predicted to inundate coastal areas of in Junagadh, Amreli, Diu, Kutch, Bharuch, Gir-Somnath, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar districts by early hours of May 18.
Additional chief secretary Pankaj Kumar said 25,000 people were evacuated by Sunday evening.
Tauktae was earlier heading towards Porbandar with India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting that it would cross the Saurashtra coast between Porbandar and Naliya in Kutch. But the cyclone changed trajectory and is moving northwestwards towards Diu and Veraval.
“It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and reach Gujarat coast in the evening hours of May 17 and cross Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) around 18th May early morning,” the IMD said.
The IMD has also issued a yellow alert for the coasts of Gujarat and Diu and Daman, which indicates possibility of heavy rainfall at some places.
The IMD said wind speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph is likely along and off south Maharashtra-Goa and adjoining Karnataka coasts, and 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph along and off the north Maharashtra coast on May 16. It is likely to increase to 65-75 kmph, gusting to 85 kmph along and off the north Maharashtra coast from May 17 till the morning of May 18.
Major damage to kutcha and pucca roads, flooding of escape routes, minor disruption of railways, overhead power lines and signalling systems is expected, the IMD said.
Squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is likely off south Gujarat and Daman and Diu coasts from morning May 16.
Winds with speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph are likely to prevail along and off Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman, Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Bharuch, southern parts of Ahmedabad and Anand districts from the midnight of May 17 and till the morning of May 18.
According to IMD, in Bhavnagar district, total destruction of thatched houses, extensive damage to kutcha houses and some damage to pucca houses is expected. There could be a potential threat from flying objects with bending or uprooting of power and communication poles.
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, leaving four people dead, damaging hundreds of houses, uprooting electricity poles and trees and forcing evacuation. Four deaths have been reported from Karnataka in cyclone-related incidents, while two persons died in Goa in separate incidents. agencies