Over 45,000 people have been moved to shelter homes in Gujarat’s coastal districts of Saurashtra and Kutch as Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall near the Jakhau coast in Gujarat’s Kutch district on the evening of June 15. The cyclone is expected to traverse all along the Rann up to Rajasthan thereafter. To ensure the safety of residents, 13 State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed in the state.
The evacuation process has been underway for the past two days, and more than 45,000 people have been shifted to safe places in the entire state. Teams would also be deployed in the event of flooding in low-lying areas, according to NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi. A total of eight districts in Gujarat are expected to be affected, with 442 low-lying villages possibly impacted by the cyclone.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the exact number of evacuated people in the state is 47,113. Around 597 teams have been prepared urgently to restore the power supply by calling teams from other districts in potentially affected areas, NDRF DIG Mohsen warned.
The relief commissioner added that 18 teams of NDRF have been deployed in the districts likely to be affected by the storm. While speaking to the press, Sub Divisional Magistrate Parth Talsania has confirmed that around 4,500 people have been shifted from their homes to shelter homes as a precautionary safety measure ahead of cyclone Biparjoy reaching the coast of Gujarat.
Union Minister Parshottam Rupala has confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken stock of the arrangements and directed officials to be alert and take all necessary steps to minimize the impact.
