Cyclone Nilofar: About 30,000 People to be Evacuated Starting Tomorrow

Ahmedabad: An estimated 30,000 people along coastal areas will be moved to safer places in Kutch district of Gujarat. The evacuation will start tomorrow as the 'very severe' cyclonic storm Nilofar hurtles towards the state and is expected to slam it by November 1 afternoon.

Taking precautionary measures in view of the approaching storm, the district collector of Kutch has asked the administration to initiate evacuation process in eight tehsils.

Nilofar -- as per the modified prediction of Indian Meteorological Department - is likely to have a landfall near Naliya village of Kutch district by November 1 afternoon against the earlier prediction of October 31.

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"We have decided to evacuate around 30,000 people living in 128 villages of eight tehsils. All these villages are near the coast. Based on the final prediction of the Met department, we will start evacuation tomorrow," Kutch collector Mahendra Patel told PTI.

The evacuation will be carried out in tehsils of Abdasa (Naliya), Anjar, Bhachau, Bhuj, Gandhidham, Mandvi, Mundra and Nakhatrana.

"We are also working towards ensuring electricity supply during the cyclone. Villagers in other parts of the district have been asked to store water. We have called back school teachers and principals from Diwali vacation and asked them to keep school premises open to accommodate evacuees," said Mr Patel.

Nilofar is currently positioned in West-Central Arabian Sea, about 1,110 km south-west of Naliya, the Met department said.

However, as the system would come closer to Gujarat coast, it would weaken and cross the coast as severe cyclonic storm," it added. The Met department has also asked the port authorities to hoist distant warning signal no 2 at all the ports.

"Nine teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) will be deployed for rescue operations and they will be conducting operations in consultation with the State Reserve Police Force," state Relief Commissioner D N Pandey said