The monstrous cyclone Tauktae has started making landfall in Gujarat at around 9 pm on Monday.
“The ESCS Tauktae lies close to the Gujarat coast. The landfall process started and will continue for the next 2 hours,” the Indian Meteorological Department tweeted.
It may be noted here that the wind speed could be extreme up to 185/km per hour.
Gujarat Chief Minister has also reached the state control room to monitor the impact of the cyclone Tauktae.
The Gujarat government has shifted over a lakh people living in the coastal areas to safer places. This comes as a response after the weather department issued the warning of tidal waves and floods.
Moreover, heavy rainfall is expected over the southern districts of Saurashtra and Diu on Tuesday. An orange alert has also been issued for heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh.
Concerned about the safety of the public, the Gujarat government has deployed teams from several departments to provide rescue and relief. Special arrangements, which include ambulances on standby in case of emergency, have been made for the Covid patients amid this hour of the cyclone.
As a precautionary measure, all ports have been closed till the time cyclone Tauktae settles.
The Indian Army is also continuously monitoring the situation and has kept nine Engineer Task Force (ETF) teams on standby along with 180 relief and rescue teams.
According to the reports, Cyclone Tauktae has claimed six lives leaving several injured in Maharashtra while it was crossing the state. In coastal- Karnataka, nearly eight people have died due to the heavy winds. According to the report of Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, 121 villages have been affected by the monstrous cyclone.
In Mumbai, the cyclone wind speed was recorded at its highest in the city at 114 kilometers per hour. The city has even witnessed a heavy downpour.
The strong winds also led to the closure of flight operations for few hours at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. It may be noted here, the Maharashtra government on May 16 evacuated thousands of people residing near the coastal areas.