Samikhsya Bureau
Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi to review preparedness for Cyclone Vayu.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Vayu is expected to touch Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva around Veraval and Diu region as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speed 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph during early morning of June 13.
“It is likely to cause heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of Gujarat and storm surge of height of about 1.0- 1.5 m above the astronomical tides likely to inundate the low lying coastal areas of Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Porbandar, Junagarh, Diu, Gir Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts at the time of landfall,” IMD bulletin said.
IMD has been issuing regular bulletins since April 9 to all the states concerned.
Shah directed the senior officers to take every possible measure to ensure that people are safely evacuated and to ensure maintenance of all essential services such as power, telecommunications, health, drinking water and that these are restored immediately in the event of damage caused to them, a senior home minister official said. He also directed functioning of control rooms, he added.
The meeting was attended by the home secretary, secretary in ministry of earth sciences, and senior officers of IMD and MHA.
Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha also convened a separate meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee to review the preparedness of the states and central agencies.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has pre-positioned 26 teams, equipped with boats, tree-cutters and telecom equipment, while it is moving another 10 teams, on request of the Gujarat government. “The Indian Coast Guard, the Navy, Army and Air Force units have also been put on standby and surveillance aircraft and helicopters are carrying out aerial surveillance”, senior officials said.
(With agency reports)
