Gujarat on high alert even after Cyclone Vayu skips state

TIL Desk/National/Ahmedabad/ The severity of Cyclone Vayu remains a threat for Gujarat’s coastal areas even though it has changed course and is unlikely to make landfall in the state on Thursday, an IMD official said.  “The threat of surge in wind, dust storm and rainfall stays very much. The centre of the storm — known as the eye — has slightly moved away from the Gujarat coast, but its diameter is well over 900 km,” the official said.

Earlier, the cyclone was moving straight towards the Gujarat coast, but is has now slightly moved away, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said. “But going by its extension, there is no relief from the high alert sounded for the Gujarat coast. The cyclonic storm is going to hit Porbandar in Gujarat and other parts till Kutch area,” he said.  The IMD will issue further updates about the cyclone by afternoon, the official added.

While heading towards Gujarat earlier, the cyclonic storm had brought some good spell of rain to Mumbai and neighbouring Raigad, Thane and Palghar districts of Maharashtra. Six teams of the National Disaster Response Force are on alert in Porbandar. This is one of the many NDRF teams comprising 30 members on standby at Chowpatty beach in Porbandar. As per the latest IMD update Cyclone Vayu has decided to change course and now won’t hit Gujarat, but will have an effect on coastal districts in the state.