Cyclone Phyan spares Mumbai, heads to Gujarat

Mumbai, November 11 (Agencies): Even though the administration was prepared for the worst, Cyclone Phyan has spared Mumbai. It is now moving northwards towards Gujarat, but has weakened considerably. The system over Arabian Sea is likely to move north-northeastwards and cross south Gujarat and north Maharashtra coast near to Valsad, close to Mumbai by Wednesday evening.
Importantly, Mumbai has only been spared from a direct hit but threat still remains and heavy rains are expected later in the evening. The Phyan is right now positioned about 180 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 430 km south-southwest of Surat. Gale winds speed reaching 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph are likely along and off Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts during next 24 hours. Sea condition will be high to very high over along and off Maharashtra and south Gujarat coasts.
Storm surge of about 1 meter above the tide level is likely in Alibagh, Raigarh, Greater Mumbai and Thane and Valsad in Gujarat at the time of landfall. The cyclone is said to be of moderate level of 6. The highest level is 9. The Met Dept has issued the orange alert which is one level less than the red alert. The next update is due at 17:30 hrs today. Under its influence, rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places and isolated extremely heavy fall (=25 cm) is likely over Konkan & Goa, central Maharashtra and south Gujarat region during the next 24 hours.
Earlier, fearing the worst, all schools, colleges and offices in Mumbai and nearby areas were ordered to shutdown early afternoon in view of the approaching cyclone. - “All schools and offices have been advised to close down for the day in view of the inclement weather that is likely to worsen,” BMC Additional Commissioner A Maheshkar told reporters. While the schools have been asked to shut down at 1 pm, offices have been advised to close by 2 pm, Maheshkar said after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Johny Joseph at Mantralaya.
Joseph after reviewing the situation and preparedness to deal with the cyclone, at a meeting of the Disaster Management Cell, assured the public that the administration is ready for the situation. He also informed that six rescue teams and nine Navy teams are on standby. All 24 control rooms of the BMC have also been activated. BMC has also asked people to avoid going near the beaches, while also asking them to vacate low lying areas.

AHMEDABAD/PANAJI, November 11 (Agencies): About 80 fishing trawlers, with an average of 10 men in each, are missing in cyclone-hit Arabian Sea, organisations of fishermen along India’s west coast said on Wednesday. As Cyclone Phyan intensified and tore northwards, slated to make landfall along the north Maharashtra-south Gujarat coast late Wednesday night, there were reports of boats missing at sea, despite repeated warnings from the authorities over the last few days that no fisherman should venture out.
Gopal Tandel, president of the Daman Machimar Sangh (fishermen’s association), said: “Fifty fishing boats with a total estimated complement of about 500 fishermen are still out at sea and are on the path of the cyclone headed this way.” Daman is a small coastal enclave on the Gujarat coast. “There were about 80 boats out fishing but about 30 of them have either returned or are on their way back,” Tandel added.
Administrator of the union territory of Daman, Satya Gopal, said the Coast Guard authorities had sent out a Dornier aircraft to warn fishing boats to return. He said that over the last three days, special warnings were being put out by the administration advising fishermen against venturing out to sea. While there was no information from Maharashtra till Wednesday afternoon on any fishing boats missing at sea, fishermen’s organisations in Goa said that an estimated 30 trawlers were missing. The Coast Guard started a search for them. “Our patrol vessels are already on the lookout for the trawlers. We have also pressed a lookout aircraft into the operation, which will scan the sea off Goa in search of the missing trawlers,” Goa Coast Guard Commandant N. Saxena said.

 

Centre puts 5 states, three UTs on alert

NEW Delhi, November 11 (PTI): As the sea became rough due to cyclonic storm Phyan, the Home Ministry on Wednesday put on alert five coastal states and three Union Territories and sent disaster relief response force for their assistance. Ministry of Defence has also alerted the Air Force. Assessing the impact of the movement of the cyclone, the Home Ministry sent advisories to Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra besides Union Territories of Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep to be on alert. Eight such advisories have been sent to the states and UTs so far, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has also been sent to Kothagiri in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu where a school has been marooned following heavy rains. Following the movement of this cyclonic depression and the consequential heavy rainfall caused by it, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions in Maharashtra and Gujarat have been put on the alert.
Simultaneously, to meet any emergent requirement of rescue and relief, the NDRF teams comprising about 400 trained personnel with boats and other equipments, have been pre-positioned in Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Another 200 men have been kept in readiness for Mumbai. Meanwhile, the movement of a depression in the central Arabian sea region since early yesterday morning is being watched very closely by the India Meteorological Department.