Virus-hit Mumbai escapes cyclone fury
Strong winds and rain lash city uprooting trees, blowing off roofs
India’s financial capital Mumbai, which is struggling with a surge in Covid-19 infections, was yesterday spared the worst of Cyclone Nisarga.
The first severe storm to threaten the city in more than 70 years left it largely unscathed after ripping roofs off buildings in nearby coastal towns.
Mumbai and its surrounding areas are usually sheltered from cyclones — the last deadly storm to hit was in 1948 — but authorities evacuated at least 100,000 people, including Covid-19 patients, from flood-prone areas in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Landfall in Alibag
The storm made landfall near the coastal town of Alibag, around 100km south of Mumbai, yesterday afternoon.It then crossed Maharashtra’s coast, veering to the east of Mumbai and gradually weakening by evening. The cyclone, however, brought heavy rainfall — with winds of 100-110km/h and gusts of up to 120km/h.
About 40 teams from the National Disaster Response Force were deployed in Maharashtra and Gujarat, while three others were ready in reserve, the agency said in a Twitter post.
Heavy rain wreaks havoc
Mumbai experienced heavy rain through the afternoon, with strong winds toppling trees. The rains caused compound walls to collapse in some neighbourhoods. The beach town of Alibag fared worse, with the cyclone tearing off roofs and overturning food stalls.
A 45-year-old professor, who was evacuated from his house in Alibag, said he could see corrugated roofing flying through the air as Nisarga struck. “The intensity was very strong and nothing like we’ve seen before,” said Milind Dhodre.
Bollywood stars own holiday homes in the coastal town.
The port city of Pen also suffered damage, with one video showing a ripped off metal roof smashing into nearby buildings.
In Mumbai, police announced fresh restrictions on the city of 18 million people, which is beginning to emerge from a months-long lockdown, banning gatherings of four people or more until today.
The storm evacuees included nearly 150 coronavirus patients from a recently-built field hospital, underscoring the difficulties facing the city ahead of the monsoon season as it struggles to contain the pandemic.
Warnings of storm surges up to two metres high remained in effect yesterday, with slumdwellers in low-lying areas of Mumbai instructed to move to higher ground.
The threat posed by Nisarga to Mumbai has lessened, but the next few hours will be crucial, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said. Authorities in Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar were on alert considering the cyclone’s trajectory.
100,000 people, including coronavirus patients, evacuated in Maharashtra and Gujarat