NEW DELHI: At least 31 teams of Central and state disaster response teams have been deployed in coastal areas of Gujarat to effectively respond to emergency situations and to restore normalcy after cyclone Biparjoy hits Kutch on Thursday evening.
According to senior officials, 18 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 13 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with paramilitary personnel are deployed in several parts of Gujarat.
Speaking to The New Indian, NDRF DIG Mohseen Sahedi said that one team has also been deployed in Dui.
Out of more than 50,000 people who have been evacuated from low-lying areas, more than 300 are pregnant women. “Some of them have been shifted to hospitals. About 1500 cyclone shelters have been readied and these are the places where the people have been put up,” Sahedi said.
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He also said that Gujarat and Maharashtra have identified about 442 low-lying areas which is expected to be flooded by the “very severe cyclonic storm”.
The officer further said, “As soon as it hits the land, it will quickly turn into a severe cyclone due to the lack of moisture and then into deep depression. However, the wind speed and the effect of the wind and the rain will keep us alert.”
According to weathermen, cyclone Biparjoy will make landfall with a speed of 85 kmph at remote coastal village of Jakhau in Kutch district between 5 pm and 6 pm.
Meanwhile, NDRF director general Atul Karwal said that the state had requested for only 12 teams but 5-6 additional teams have been stationed at different places in Gujarat in reserve.
“Additionally, five NDRF teams have been kept ready in Bhatinda in Punjab, Bhubaneswar in Odisha, and Chennai in Tamil Nadu,” Karwal told reporters.
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Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for food and drinking water at shelter homes for the next 5-6 days so that evacuees do not face any problem.
Eight coastal districts of Gujarat – Kutch, Porbandar, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Devbhoomi-Dwarka, Gir-Somnath, Morbi, and Rajkot – have been placed on high alert for storm surges, with additional forces and rescuers deployed.
According to IMD director Mrityunjay Mahapatra, with wind speeds reaching approximately 125-135 kmph, the storm has the potential to cause damage to trees, small houses, mud houses, and structures made of tin.
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