Cyclonic storm Vayu has now become very severe and has technically turned into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ and is heading towards Gujarat coast, IMD center Director Jayanta Sarkar said on Wednesday.
Currently it is lying at a distance of 340 km south of Veraval coast and would make a landfall tomorrow morning at a much stronger speed than anticipated earlier. Sarkar said it would hit the Gujarat coast somewhere between Porbandar and Mahuva close to Veraval.
“It’s likely to hit the coast with a speed of 145 to 155 km per hour gusting up to 175 kmph,” he said.
Notably, it was anticipated earlier that the cyclone would make a landfall at a speed of 110 to 120 kmph with gusting wind speed of up to 135 kmph.
Meanwhile, elaborate precautionary arrangements have been made in the wake of the approaching cyclone which was likely to affect at least 11 districts of coastal Gujarat, mainly Saurashtra region.
More than 30 companies of NDRF, around a dozen of SDRF have been deployed in the coastal areas for relief and rescue operations. All the three wings of the armed forces — the Army, Air Force and Navy have also been kept in stand-by mode. Leaves of all the government officials have been cancelled.
The Gujarat government has declared holiday in all the schools in the 11 coastal districts for two days beginning Wednesday. Thousands of fishing boats have returned ashore.
Shifting of around three lakh people in 408 coastal and low lying villages has begun this morning. (UNI)
