Cyclone Biparjoy killed two people, harmed 23, and uprooted trees in almost 950 Gujarat villages.
Updates on Cyclone Biparjoy: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to assess the situation.
Destructive cyclone Biparjoy, which brought high winds and heavy rain, caused complete disruption of life in Gujarat’s Kutch district on Thursday, uprooting trees in large numbers and causing power outages in many areas, but it began to weaken in the early hours of Friday as it moved north. The National Disaster Response Force or NDRF claimed at least 23 people were injured when the’very strong’ cyclonic storm made landfall in Gujarat’s coastal districts on Thursday evening, adding that two people were killed before the cyclone made landfall.
Till 2.30 a.m., Cyclone Biparjoy was centred over the Saurashtra-Kutch area, 30 km north of Naliya. It was predicted to proceed northeast and diminish into a cyclonic storm by early Friday morning, then into a depression by the evening across south Rajasthan, according to the India Meteorological Department.
Top Updates on Cyclone Biparjoy
1. Biparjoy made landfall as a very strong cyclonic storm near Jakhau at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday, with wind speeds ranging from 115 to 125 kmph and gusting up to 140 kmph.
2. Strong winds damaged electric cables and poles, knocking off electricity in 45 villages in Maliya tehsil. Eleven towns have regained power. Over 300 electrical poles have been damaged along the shore, in rural regions, and in the desert. a statement from J C Goswami, executive engineer, PGVCL in Morbi, the Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Ltd. (PGVCL) is working to restore electricity to the rest of the rural regions as quickly as possible.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to talk about the situation. PM Modi also inquired about the safety preparations for wild animals, especially lions, in Gir Forest.
4. The cyclonic storm hit the shoreline at Jakhau Port Thursday evening, then dropped intensity several hours later and was packing 100 km/h winds with gusts up to 110 km/h around 2:30 a.m. on Friday, according to the IMD.
5. According to Alok Singh, Gujarat’s relief commissioner, 24 animals have been killed, 524 trees have collapsed, and electric lines have also fallen in certain locations, leaving 940 villages without power.
6. Mandvi town experienced a complete power outage. Due to the severe gusts, several trees were uprooted on the Jakhau-Mandvi route as well as in Mandvi town. “No casualties have been reported so far,” said district collector Amit Arora.
7. According to THE Western Railway, 99 trains passing through, starting in, or ending in Biparjoy-affected districts of Gujarat would be cancelled or short-circuited.
8. According to the Gujarat government, around 1 lakh people have migrated from coastal and low-lying districts to seek refuge.
9. Pakistan’s climate change minister, Sherry Rehman, reported that 82,000 people had been evacuated from southeastern coastal districts due to “a cyclone the likes of which Pakistan has never experienced.”
10. Storm surges of up to four metres were forecast, with floods potential in Karachi, home to over 20 million people.