At least 100,000 inhabitants, including 150 patients with Covid-19, were evacuated this Tuesday in India at the approach of a cyclone which threatens the west coast of the country of South Asia, the first storm of this magnitude heading towards the megacity of Bombay in more than 70 years. Officials in India's economic capital have called on slum dwellers on the seaside to find safe haven in the face of hurricane Nisarga.
DOs and DONTs for Mumbaikars to take on Cyclone Nisarga.
Dial 1916 and Press 4 for any cyclone related query or concern. # BMCNisargaUpdates pic.twitter.com/HY9xYVUmLD
It is due to land this Wednesday in the north of the state of Maharashtra (west), of which Bombay is the capital, with winds of up to 120 km / h. "The inhabitants of the slums (...) located in the low areas were called to evacuate," said the head of the government of the state of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray.
Last storm in 1948
City health officials of 20 million people also evacuated nearly 150 patients with coronavirus from a recently built field hospital to place them in a place "with a covered roof" as a precaution. In the Palghar district, more than 21,000 villagers have been displaced, media reports said.
🌀 Cyclone #Nisarga formed in the Arabian Sea. It will hit the west Indian coasts of # India tomorrow June 3 with gusts reaching 120 km / h. (via @windyforecast) pic.twitter.com/EIMuK6ChB3
- Cities Weather (@Meteovilles) June 2, 2020Cyclones are extremely rare in Bombay, built facing the Arabian Sea. The last major storm to hit the city dates back to 1948 and killed 12 people and injured more than a hundred. Indian meteorologists expect heavy precipitation and fear many wind damage to slums huts and power lines. A one to two meter high storm surge could also flood low-lying coastal areas of Maharashtra.
Evacuation of 79,000 people on the coast
Cyclone Nisarga is also expected to affect the neighboring state of Gujarat, where authorities have planned to evacuate nearly 79,000 people living in coastal regions by Wednesday morning, said Gujarat’s rescue chief Harshad Patel, to the press. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, "the temporary shelters have been disinfected and instructions have been given to respect physical distance," said Arpit Sagar, a Valsad district official.
This phenomenon appears two weeks after the powerful cyclone Amphan. It has killed a hundred in eastern India and Bangladesh, and caused considerable property damage.
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