Cyclone Nilofar: 30,000 People to be Evacuated in Gujarat From Today

Around 30,000 people living along the coastal areas in Kutch district of Gujarat will be evacuated to safer areas from today.

The cyclone, still a very severe one, is currently 900 km from Naliya in Gujarat and about 910 km away from Karachi in Pakistan. The storm is gusting up to a maximum speed of 210 km/hour and is expected to make landfall in Gujarat before noon on Saturday.

On Friday, the coastal areas Saurashtra and Kutch will see heavy rains and gales and the sea will turn extremely rough, warned the Met Department, which says all fishermen must return to the coast urgently.

"We are preparing for the worst to happen, let us also pray that cyclone Nilofar gets subdued and doesn't bring serious damage," said Chief Minister Anandiben who has been reviewing preparations.

The Centre has also directed agencies like the National Disaster Relief Force and the National Disaster Management Authority, as well as officials from the departments of health, telecom and water resources to be ready for any eventuality. The Indian Air Force has also been alerted.

The Centre is monitoring the situation closely, said Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, who reviewed the preparedness of the state government today.

Nilofar is the second cyclone to hit India this month; Hudhud slammed into the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 12 and killed nearly 20 people in the state.

India has six categories of tropical storms based on wind speeds and damage expected, with Nilofar falling into category five, the second from top.

Nilofar is expected to pass Goa within the next one day; the state has seen unseasonal showers for the last three days.

India, particularly its east coast, and neighbouring Bangladesh are routinely hit by bad storms between April and November that cause deaths and widespread damage to property.