Ahmedabad: Cyclone Pipparjoy, which has been threatening the state of Gujarat for the past few days, has crossed the coast and is moving towards Rajasthan, the Meteorological Department said.
Piperjoy Storm Impact: Cyclone Pipparjoy, which originated in the Arabian Sea, made landfall near Jakua Port in Gujarat’s Kutch district last evening. The storm was packing winds of 115 kilometers per hour when it made landfall. Two people died due to this storm. 23 people were injured. More than 500 trees and numerous power poles were downed. Transformers have also fallen down at some places.
“Don’t leave the house”: Due to this, electricity has been cut off in some districts of Gujarat including Kutch district. Officials said that electricity has been cut in 940 villages. Due to continuous heavy rains, the roads are flooded. The normal life of the people of the coastal district has been affected due to the strong winds. Bhuj District Superintendent of Police appealed to the public that people should not come out of their houses now as the weather is abnormal and they can come out after the storm has passed completely.
National Disaster Response Force Description: Atul Karwal, head of the National Disaster Response Force, said that two people died before the storm made landfall and there were no casualties after it made landfall. He also said, “24 animals have died. 23 people have been injured. Electricity has been cut off in about a thousand villages. 800 trees have fallen. There is no heavy rain anywhere except Rajkot city.”
Departments including the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Police and Fire Department are engaged in the task of removing trees that have fallen on the road. The work of removing trees is going on at various places with Bokline machines. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi, speaking to reporters about the impact of the storm, said, “There are no casualties so far. Some people have been injured. They have been admitted to hospital.” In some areas, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has taken the people trapped by the storm to safer places. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inspected the storm damage in Gandhi Nagar.
Towards Rajasthan…: Cyclone Pipparjoy has crossed the coast of Gujarat and is moving towards Rajasthan. Jalore and Parmer districts of Rajasthan are receiving heavy rain due to the storm. The Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for both the districts, stating that 60-70 mm of rain has been recorded per hour. According to the Meteorological Department, a maximum rainfall of 200 mm is likely to be recorded.
State Disaster Response Force in Rajasthan: 17 teams of state security forces have been deployed in the state after the storm moved towards Rajasthan. Rajasthan Chief Secretary Usha Sharma told reporters that a meeting was held with officials of various departments to deal with the effects of the storm. In this, the authorities have been instructed about the precautionary measures to be taken. Jalore and Parmar districts will be most affected by the storm and wind gusts of up to 60 km per hour are expected, the Meteorological Department said. Considering this, 17 teams of State Disaster Response Force have been engaged in rescue and relief work. 30 teams are kept ready. The storm, which is currently slowing down, is expected to slow down significantly by this evening.