Hurricane Tauktae makes landfall in Gujarat, India weather news

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Hurricane Tauktae destroyed buildings, uprooted trees and electrical towers, broke electrical wires, and caused flooding.

After the authorities evacuated hundreds of thousands of people, a powerful hurricane hit the west coast of India and made landfall in Gujarat.

The cyclone called Tauktae, called the “very severe cyclone storm” by the Indian Meteorological Department, brings wind speeds of 160 to 170 kilometers per hour (99.4-105.6 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 190 km/h (118 miles/hour). Hours), storm surge and heavy rain.

The cyclone destroyed buildings, uprooted trees and power line towers, disconnected power lines, and caused flooding and flooding in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the neighboring areas of Dammam and Diu.

The Meteorological Department of India stated that the landing process along the coast of Gujarat will take up to three hours.

The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, said in a briefing that the Indian army and navy are on standby together with the National Disaster Response Force for relief and rescue operations.

Rupani said he is monitoring the situation with senior officials. He said that the extent of the damage in the four affected areas will be clarified before morning.

Tens of thousands evacuated from the coastal zone [Handout/RAMMB/CIRA/AFP]

The port and airport of Gujarat have been closed, and more than 150,000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas in the Sorashtra and Kutch regions to temporary safe havens.

The international airport in Mumbai, the financial center of India, is closed all day. More than 50 flights were cancelled.

The National Disaster Response Team and regional responders work around the clock to restore power supply, remove trees from roads and major transportation arteries (including highways), and deliver oxygen for COVID-19 patients from ports in Gujarat.

Officials said that many hospitals have installed backup power sources, such as diesel generators.

So far, at least 14 people have been killed in storm-related incidents, and 6 of them have died in the coastal strip of Kankan in Maharashtra. Fees are expected to rise.

Tauktae is named after the particularly loud Burmese gecko. The impact of the cyclone is expected to last at least 12 hours after landing.

More than three days ago, the cyclone began to form in the Arabian Sea and caused severe damage in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and finally Gujarat on the coast of western India.

Mass evacuation

Although there are fears that COVID-19 will spread further in this deadly second wave of the pandemic, thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas and placed in temporary shelters in various states.

“This cyclone has caused a terrible double blow to thousands of people in India. Their families have lost their lives as a result of a record COVID infection and death. The head of the delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies South Asia. Udaya Regmi said in a statement: “Many families barely make ends meet. “

Remy said that the potential impact of “Monster Storm” is frightening.

The statement said that the Indian Red Cross emergency team is cooperating with local authorities for evacuation and relief.

India’s west coast is no stranger to devastating hurricanes, but changing climate patterns make them more intense, not more frequent.

In May 2020, Hurricane Amphan was India’s most violent storm hitting eastern India in more than a decade. It swept through the area, deprived millions of people of power and killed nearly 100 people.



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