Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm, ‘Tauktae’ made landfall in Gujarat on Monday night and the weakening process is likely to continue for three hours. Strong winds and rain continued this morning in Gujarat. High tidal waves were seen in the Arabian sea near Mumbai. Apart from Gujarat, the ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ has also forced the governments of Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa to issue alerts to its citizens in coastal areas and concerned authorities. Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu have also been on high alert.
Under its influence, heavy to very heavy rainfall with widespread flooding, inundation and landslide risk is expected over Saurashtra & Kutch and South Rajasthan in the next 24 hours. Gale winds are also forecast in these regions from early Wednesday, with gusty winds exceeding 100 km/ph on Tuesday. In addition, heavy snow has been forecast over the West Himalayan Region from Wednesday onwards, with total snow above 200 mm at isolated areas of Uttarakhand.
Meanwhile, the Armed forces and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been carrying out evacuation operations and have put several teams on standby in cyclone-prone areas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to Chief Ministers of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, assuring them the Centre’s complete assistance in rescue operations and other relief measures.