Cyclone Nisarga is expected to hit Alibaug this afternoon.
Mumbai / New Delhi:
More than 19,000 people in Maharashtra affected by a coronavirus, including some COVID-19 patients, were transferred to safety before the expected arrival of the severe cyclonic storm Nisarga in Alibaug – about 100 km from Mumbai – in a few hours . Cyclone Nisarga is the second storm to hit India in two weeks and the first storm to hit the financial capital in over 100 years.
Mumbai – the city most affected by the pandemic in the country with more than 41,000 COVID-19 patients – banned the movement of people near the coast until Thursday afternoon, police said at night. The city and its suburbs are on high alert and thousands of people have been evacuated to a safe place.
Cyclone Nisarga is expected to have wind speeds greater than 100 km / h, with gusts up to 120 km / h. The Met department has also warned of storm waves of one to two meters high (three to 6.5 feet) that are flooding the lower areas of Maharashtra.
Rescue teams have been kept on standby in various areas near the coastal areas. In the Mumbai Dadar, cleaning activities were suspended on the beach. Those staying near the beach have been warned, officials said.
In an elaborate list of do’s and don’ts, the city’s civic body – Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation – asked people to keep an emergency kit ready, stay away from windows, check for leaks. air and damage to electrical equipment.
The storm could cause significant damage to thatched houses, huts, power and communication lines and coastal crops, the meteorological department said. Steps are being taken to ensure that there is no power outage at a time when the state is struggling with the coronavirus crisis and thousands of patients are being treated in various hospitals.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray urged people to stay inside. “The cyclone could be more serious than those that the state has faced so far … Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are crucial in the coastal areas … The activities that had resumed (as part of the relaxation will remain closed for the next two days, people should be vigilant, “said Thackeray.
Several parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli fall on the path of the cyclone which developed over a low pressure area above the Arabian Sea.
