India’s Gujarat state braces for ‘monster’ Cyclone Tauktae
Indian authorities have moved nearly 150,000 people from their homes in the state of Gujarat to safety and shut ports and an airport as the most powerful cyclone in more than two decades roared up the west coast.
Cyclone Tauktae killed at least 12 people and left a trail of destruction as it brushed past the coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. It is expected to make landfall in Gujarat late on Monday.
“This will be the most severe cyclone to hit Gujarat in at least 20 years. This can be compared with the 1998 cyclone that hit Kandla and inflicted heavy damage,” said the state’s revenue secretary, Pankaj Kumar.
The 1998 cyclone killed at least 4,000 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. The latest cyclone will pile pressure on local administrations already struggling with high Covid caseloads.
“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 barely staying afloat,” said Udaya Regmi, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
On Monday, India reported 281,386 new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours. Gujarat and Mumbai suspended their vaccination drives on Monday owing to the cyclone.
Regmi said the potential impact of the “monster storm” was frightening, and the Indian Red Cross emergency team was working with authorities and aiding evacuations.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded the storm, which formed in the Arabian Sea, from “very severe” to “extremely severe”. The cyclone brought gusts of up to 130mph (210kmh), putting it on par with a category 3 hurricane and one level below the IMD’s super cyclone category.
The financial hub of Mumbai was lashed with heavy rain and strong winds as Tauktae headed north, forcing authorities to suspend operations at the city’s airport and to close some main roads due to flooding.
Mumbai’s urban rail system, one of the world’s busiest, was also affected as tracks flooded. A Reuters witness saw uprooted trees and stranded cars and buses in the city.
Two barges with more than 400 people onboard went adrift near the Mumbai coastline and vessels were sent to provide help.
As well as the 12 deaths reported in Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, 28 fishing boats were missing, a coastguard official said.
Authorities also fretted about Gujarat’s Asiatic lions, an endangered species found only in the Saurashtra region, where the cyclone is expected to inflict most damage.
“There are around 40 lions in some patches in coastal Saurashtra and we are monitoring them. Some lions have already moved to higher grounds. We are keeping fingers crossed and praying the lions will be safe,” said Shyamal Tikadar, the principal chief conservator of forests in Gujarat.
Gujarat’s chief minister, Vijay Rupani, said all measures possible were being taken to deal with the storm. “These are special circumstances. The administration is busy with the Covid-19 challenges and is now gearing up to deal with the impact of the cyclone,” he said.