In Gujarat’s Kutch region on Thursday, Cyclone Biparjoy, which packed strong winds and delivered torrential rains, completely disrupted daily life as several trees were toppled, widespread power outages were recorded, and low-lying areas close to the sea were inundated.
Around 6.30 p.m. on Thursday, Biparjoy, a very strong cyclonic storm with winds of 115 to 125 kph and gusts up to 140 kph, made landfall close to Jakhau. According to the IMD, the whole landfall will be gone by midnight.
Mandvi town had a complete loss of electricity. Due to the severe gusts, several trees were uprooted on the Jakhau-Mandvi road and in Mandvi town. District collector Amit Arora said that no casualties have been recorded as of yet.
“There is strong wind. It is raining everywhere right now. But the problem is in check,” he said. He told reporters, “We have minor damage, like 200 electric poles uprooted, 250 trees uprooted, and we have cut power in five tehsils as a precaution.”
“We have moved people to shelters from the cyclone’s most vulnerable places, which are 10 kilometres from the beach. About 52,000 individuals were sent to shelters. 25,000 livestock have also been moved to higher land, he said. So far, he claimed, there hadn’t been any significant mishaps. The collector said, “This is because we made preparations in advance to confront the typhoon.