Thu 15 June 2023:
Officials in Gujarat state say its deserted coastal towns were battered in the dark as power went out after electricity poles fell and some trees were uprooted by gusty winds.
As the storm neared land, the windspeed rose around Jakhau, Amit Arora, a district official in the region of Kachchh told Reuters news agency.
More than 50,000 people were evacuated in Kachchh and power supply was disrupted at many places because of strong winds.
Indian television footage showed high waves crashing on the shores of many coastal areas of Gujarat, as winds bent tall trees and displaced some structures.
In the coastal town of Mandvi, a Reuters witness said strong winds had uprooted trees and caused waterlogging. Other districts in the state also reported fallen trees and moderate rain.
Cyclone Warning for Saurashtra & Kutch Coasts: RED MESSAGE.VSCS BIPARJOY at 1730IST today near lat 22.8N and lon 67.9E about 70km WSW of Jakhau Port (Gujarat),130km WNW of Devbhumi Dwarka. LANDFALL PROCESS HAS COMMENCED. pic.twitter.com/M8S8lL8x0A
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) June 15, 2023
Biparjoy has been classified as a Category 3 “very severe cyclonic storm”, which is battering parts of the coastal Gujarat.
s Bhuj and Kutch are witnessing strong winds and high tide has hit the coastal area. Heavy rainfall and strong winds have hit Dwarka, Mandvi, and Morbi. High tidal waves and gusty winds are continuing in Mumbai.
Heavy to extremely rainfall will continue in Suarashtra and Kutch till June 16. Extremely heavy rainfall is likely in Rajasthan on June 16 and 17, as the cyclone moves towards northwest, Mr Mohapatra said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has chaired a meeting in Gandhinagar to review preparations for the cyclone. Nearly one lakh people have been evacuated and moved to shelters ahead of the cyclone’s landfall. These include people from nearly 20 villages living within 10 km of the coast.
Cyclone will lose intensity as it moves inland: Indian disaster relief official
An official with India’s National Disaster Response Force says the cyclone will lose intensity as it moves inland in the direction of central Gujarat and neighbouring Rajasthan.
“The main impact will be in Kachchh [district] and Saurashtra area of Gujarat, and it [the impact] has begun,” Narendra Singh Bundela, the inspector general of the agency, told local media.
“As it [the cyclone] moves inwards, it will lose intensity, but heavy rainfall is expected in some districts, which could lead to flooding,” he said.
Bundela said locals in the districts likely to be affected by flooding have been warned.
He said the cyclone will not have a major impact on India’s southwestern coastal metropolis Mumbai or its state of Maharashtra.
“There is no major threat in the state, but the sea is expected to remain rough, and we have warned fishermen.”
Cyclone to make Pakistan landfall later tonight: Minister
Pakistan’s climate ahange minister Sherry Rehman says Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall later tonight or after midnight.
In a tweet, the minister said the cyclone is now 130km (81 miles) from the town of Keti Bandar.
#BiparjoyAlert 4 pm. Distance to Keti Bandar 130 KM; still veering north east. Expected landfall: late night or after midnight. pic.twitter.com/CDmG9TELwp
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) June 15, 2023
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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