Cyclone Vayu: Gujarat staring at deadliest cyclone in two decades

AHMEDABAD/RAJKOT: Herculean rescue efforts were mounted in coastal districts of Gujarat as Cyclone Vayu, which has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, steadily hurtled towards Saurashtra on Wednesday.
Vayu is packing a wind speed of 155-165kmph and gusting up to 180 kmph. It is moving at a speed of 16 kmph and is expected to make landfall between temple town Dwarka and Porbandar, west of Veraval, by 3pm on Thursday.

This is the second deadliest cyclone to hit the state since 1998 that had ravaged port town Kandla killing 1,241persons.
“After making landfall, it will move parallel to the Saurashtra-Kutch coast and affect
Amreli, Gir-Somnath, Diu, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Kutch and Dwarka,” Jayanta Sarkar, director, IMDGujarat, told TOI.
The cyclone could potentially cause damage in districts of Amreli, Porbandar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Junagadh, Gir-Somnath, Jamnagar and Kutch.
Vayu will batter the state for four days beginning today and remain a severe cyclonic storm till June 15 when it moves northwards.
As many as 2.81 lakh people in 500 coastal villages were shifted to safer locations as the state and central agencies stepped up efforts to minimize damage to life and property. Around 10,000 tourists and pilgrims in Dwarka, Porbandar and Somnath were also shifted out of the towns in specially arranged buses.
State-run Pashchim Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (PGVCL), which supplies electricity to entire Saurashtra, has formed 634 teams that are equipped to restore power supply that could be snapped due to uprooting of poles.
The state began reeling under the cyclone’s impact with several parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat beginning to get moderate to heavy rainfall. Extremely squally weather prevailed in the coastal towns and dust storms hit visibility, especially around the famed Somnath temple adjoining Veraval. The sea was extremely rough with waves of 10-15 feet hammering the coast.
Chief minister Vijay Rupani made a fervent appeal to people to shift from vulnerable areas. “Considering the forecast of very heavy rain and stormy sea conditions, there is possibility of flash floods in the coastal areas. We have directed all district collectors to ensure 100% evacuation in the 10 km areas from the coast.”
While praying for safety and well-being of those affected, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised people to follow the real-time information being provided by local agencies to stay safe.
High danger signal hoisted at all ports
Forty seven teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) – each with 45 members – were positioned at various places while nine helicopters were kept on a standby to meet any kind of eventuality. Five NDRF teams were stationed in Diu. Besides, 11 SDRF teams, 13 SRP companies, 11 columns of Army, two BSF companies and 300 marine commandos have been stationed to save lives, said Pankaj Kumar, principal secretary, revenue.
Operations at all ports, including the big ones at Mundra, Kandla, Sikka Pipavav – have been suspended so were all airports of Saurashtra cities. The highest danger signal number 9 was hoisted at all Gujarat ports, which indicates that the cyclone may cross all ports. The Airports Authority of India suspended operations at airports in all Saurashtra cities till Thursday midnight.
Passengers have been advised to check their flight status before leaving for the airport as poor weather conditions in other parts could trigger delays, said Manoj Gangal, airport director, Ahemedabad.
Religious and voluntary organizations were preparing lakhs of food packets that could be supplied to the affected people.