Statewide red alert sounded for cyclone

A statewide red alert has been sounded by the state government to counter the cyclone which might head towards Gujarat. The administration in Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Rajkot, Kutch, Valsad, Navsari, Surat, Bharuch and Anand have been asked to be on guard.

All the officers at these centres have been asked to report back and the in-charge ministers too have been asked to go to their respective district headquarters. The state government has deputed officers-on-special-duty in these districts.

Moreover, the district collector’s special control room will be functioning 24 hours to coordinate the events. The satellite telephone as well as the radio network will be the alternative means of communication. The officers at the ports in the state have also been put on alert.

The work to evacuate people living in coastal areas has started and the people have asked to take 2-3 days off. Fishermen in all the coastal areas have been asked not to venture in the sea and those who are at sea have been asked to return.

The chief secretary has been asked by the chief minister to organize for food and other necessary supplies. The Indian Navy will be in the vicinity to organise relief operations if need be.

However, at the routine press briefing, chief minister Keshubhai Patel said that there is no cause of alarm in the state regarding the cyclone, The precise route of the cyclone is yet to be confirmed.

"The cyclone may get directed in another route before it hits the mainland around Mumbai. During the course of the last 12 hours, the cyclone has moved its direction twice," he said.

Meanwhile the Meteorological Department scientists opine that the cyclone might advance in a northerly direction and hit the coast of Gujarat. This however will not advance the routine onset of monsoon in the state, they specified.

Giving information Wednesday, director of the meteorological department Dr. R.K. Kankane said, "A cyclonic storm formation has been observed 250 km south-west of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra at latitude 15.2 degrees north and longitude 71.2 degrees east."

The Met offices have been alerted ever since the depression was sighted at 11.30 PM. on Monday.
The Met department is monitoring the cyclonic storm every three hours. Although there has been a steady northerly movement, it is difficult to predict its further move.

The Met, Ahmedabad will be intimidated by the Met, Pune in case there is an alarming move of the cyclone and in case the storm hits the state, parts of Saurashtra might receive rain showers.

The state government has also taken preventive steps in case the cyclone hits the quake-hit areas. Mr. Bakilwal said that the cyclonic formations usually move northerly and hit the coast more often than the coasts of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

"When the cyclonic storm moves northerly, it finds favorable condition to gather moisture, and hence its speed intensifies. And, the record spanning over a century indicates that on very few occasions, it has diverted to Karnataka."

But, unlike the depression that occur over Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea-depressions rarely lead to high rainfall in the coastal states. "The wind speed during that cyclone was about 200 km per hour, while at this point, it is too early to predict," Mr. Bakilwal remarked.

Republished from Asian Age