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Shawwal 9, 1442 May 21, 2021
ta u ktae in s . asia
Cyclone Tauktae makes landfall in India’s Gujarat
A powerful cyclone has battered India’s west coast and made landfall in Gujarat after authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people. Dubbed an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” by the Indian Meteorological Department, the cyclone, named Tauktae, brought with it wind speeds of 160 to 170 kilometres per hour (99.4 -105.6 miles per hour) with gusts of up to 190 km/h (118 mph), storm surges and heavy rainfall. The cyclone destroyed buildings, uprooted trees and electricity pylons, snapped wires and led to waterlogging and floods in Gujarat as well as Maharashtra and the neighbouring territories of Daman and Diu. The Indian Meteorological Department said it would take up to three hours for the landfall along the Gujarat coast to be completed. The Indian army and navy were on standby
for relief and rescue operations, along with the National Disaster Response Force, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said during a briefing. Rupani said he was monitoring the situation with top officials. The extent of the damage in the four districts affected would be clear by morning, he said. Ports and airports in Gujarat were closed and more than 150,000 people evacuated from coastal belts of the Saurashtra and Kutch region to temporary safe shelters. The international airport in India’s financialhub, Mumbai, was closed through the day. More than 50 flights were cancelled. National Disaster Response Force teams and regional responders were working around the clock to restore power supplies and remove trees from roads and key transport arteries including highways, along which
oxygen supplies for COVID-19 patients are being transported from ports in Gujarat. Power back-ups like diesel-powered generators had been installed at many hospitals, officials said. At least 14 people have died so far in incidents related to the storm, six of them in Maharashtra’s Konkan coastal belt, regional officials said. The toll is expected to go up. Tauktae is named after a particularly loud Burmese gecko. The impact of the cyclone was expected to continue for at least 12 hours after landfall. The cyclone began forming over the Arabian Sea more than three days ago and has wrought havoc along India’s western coast, in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and finally Gujarat.
Mass evacuations
ly staying afloat,” Udaya Regmi, South Asia head of the delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said in a statement. The potential impact of the “monster storm” was frightening, Regmi said. Emergency response teams of the Indian Red Cross were working with local authorities on evacuation and relief, according to the statement. India’s western coast is no stranger to devastating cyclones, but changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense, rather than more frequent. In May 2020, nearly 100 people died when Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit eastern India in more than a decade, ravaged the region and left millions without power. Source: News Agencies
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal belts in all the states and housed in temporary shelters, despite fears of a further spread of COVID-19 in a country that is reeling from a deadly second wave of the pandemic. “This cyclone is a terrible double blow for millions of people in India whose families have been struck down by record COVID infections and deaths. Many families are bare-
Cyclone Tauktae: Ninety missing at sea in the wake of storm
More than 90 people are missing after a barge off the coast of the Indian city of Mumbai sank amid a severe cyclone. The Indian navy said it had rescued 177 of the 270 people aboard and that efforts to find survivors were ongoing. Three other commercial barges carrying about 700 people are stranded at sea in the wake of cyclone Tauktae, which has battered India’s western coast. Tauktae weakened after it made landfall on Monday, but at least 19 people have already died in the storm. The stricken barge, owned by India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), was carrying personnel deployed for offshore drilling. When the storm struck, the barge’s anchors gave way and it began drifting. The Indian navy has mounted a massive air and sea rescue mission for the missing oil workers, which is being hampered by huge waves: “There are waves of 20 to 25 feet (six to 7.6m), the winds are high and the visibility is low,” said navy spokesman Vivek Madhwal.“Ships and aircraft have been deployed for the search and rescue mission.” A navy spokesman told the BBC it had dispatched three warships to save those aboard the three stranded commercial barges. Two of the barges are off the coast of Mumbai, the
capital of Maharashtra state, while the third is off the coast of Gujarat. ONGC said it had also deployed boats to rescue its personnel. One of the troubled barges, reportedly carrying cargo, had anchored and was about 14km from Mumbai’s coast when it went adrift on Monday. The navy said the barge had since run aground in a rocky patch of the sea. Everyone on board is reported to be safe. The third barge, about 92km from the Gujarat coast, is attached to an oil rig. There are reportedly 196 people aboard and another 100 reportedly stuck on the rig.
the cyclone made landfall in Gujarat state late on Monday with wind speeds of up to 160km/h (100mph). It narrowly missed Mumbai, but the barges adrift off the city’s coast were unable to return to the harbour on time. Winds have ravaged coastal areas in the western state of Gujarat, uprooting trees and electricity poles. In Saurashtra district, electricity supply has been cut as a precautionary measure. About 200,000 people were evacuated across several states as the cyclone approached, bringing with it heavy rains and gusty winds. The storm has hit the region amid a devastating second wave of Covid-19 that has overwhelmed Indian hospitals. Tauktae is the strongest cyclone to strike the coast of Gujarat since 1998. On Tuesday morning, the (IMD) said in a
What is the impact of the cyclone?
Initially classified as “extremely severe”,
tweet that the cyclone had further weakened, and would continue to weaken gradually in the next three hours. But authorities have asked people to remain cautious as some areas in Gujarat continue to witness strong winds. Although Covid cases are declining in both states, the devastating effects of India’s second wave are still being felt. More than 200,000 people in low-lying areas were moved to shelters, sparking fears of possible new coronavirus clusters in coming weeks. And the federal government has also ordered the vaccine drive to be halted in several coastal towns believed to be at risk.The storm is also adding to the challenge facing India’s hospitals. Mumbai moved 580 Covid positive patients from dedicated centres to civic hospitals as a precaution. Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army have been sent to severely-hit regions in Gujarat state, and the region of Diu. Rains from the storm also killed six people in Kerala, Karnataka and Goa over the weekend as the cyclone moved along the western coastline. Houses were destroyed and electricity was disrupted across several districts in these states. Source: bbc.com
4 killed in dust storm in Pakistan
Karachi [Pakistan] May 19, (ANI): At least four people were killed in roof collapse incidents after a dust storm followed by light rain hit parts of Karachi on Tuesday evening, caused due to the influence of the cyclone system in southern Pakistan’s vicinity. The districts in lower Sindh including Karachi have been under the influence of cyclon-
ic storm Tauktae, and on Monday the mercury rose to 43.5 degrees Celsius in Karachi. According to the Dawn, at least four people were killed in roof collapse incidents after a dust storm followed by light rain hit parts of Karachi on Tuesday evening after the city remained in the grips of a severe heat spell for two days.The strong winds caused roofs to collapse in several areas, killing a man and a woman in Dabba Colony, a nine-year-old child in Shershah, and a man in Baldia No. 14, according to a Karachi Police statement, reported by Dawn. The districts in lower Sindh including Karachi have been under the influence of cyclonic storm Tauktae, and on Monday the mercury rose to 43.5 degrees Celsius in Karachi. Sardar Sarfaraz of the Meteorology department told Dawn that “the dust storm was caused due to the influence of the cyclone system being in
southern Pakistan’s vicinity combined with local weather conditions.” He said, “Karachi could experience gusty winds again until the cyclone system is out of the region.”Sarfaraz noted that the city’s temperature had fallen by 7-8 degrees soon after the dust storm, saying it was likely to drop further as the weather normalises, as reported by Dawn. The official had earlier told Dawn that the storm had started dissipating and weather in lower Sindh would improve by Wednesday as the sea breeze blocked by the storm would resume. “A few dust/thunderstorm-rain [spells] accompanied with gusty winds of 30-50km/h may occur in Tharparkar and Umerkot districts during next 12 hours,” the advisory said, adding that hot and dry weather will continue on Tuesday (today) in Karachi, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Badin and
Mirpurkhas districts, said Pakistan Meteorological Department, reported Dawn. According to the alert, sea conditions will remain rough till Tuesday evening and fishermen of Sindh are advised to avoid going into the deep sea. “They can resume their activities from tomorrow,” it said. (ANI) Source: geo.tv
