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Cyclone Tauktae made landfall on the coast of Gujarat in Saurashtra at 8:30 pm on Monday, 17 May. Winds of up to 190 kmph caused several deaths and dealt widespread damage to property.
At least three people were reported dead in Gujarat, six in Maharashtra, eight in Karnataka and seven in Kerala due to the damage caused by the cyclone.
On Tuesday, it was downgraded to a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ from an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ by the IMD. On Monday night, the cyclone passed over Saurashtra with a wind speed of 160 kmph, which reduced to 110 kmph on Tuesday.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, while addressing the media on Tuesday, said that the cyclone posed a major threat to the operations of COVID hospitals in the region. However, it did not cause any massive damage to the health infrastructure. He stated that out of 1,400 hospitals only 16 faced power outage.
“The coastal towns were provided with diesel generators to maintain electricity supply. Out of the 16 hospitals, power has been restored in 12 hospitals and the rest four are running on generators and they will also be restored soon.”Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister, Gujarat
Major Destructions of Cyclone Tauktae in Gujarat
Saurashtra in Gujarat was majorly impacted by the cyclone. According to The Indian Express, the storm damaged 16,500 houses and power outage in 2,500 villages in Gujarat. As per the news reports, the state estimated damage to 196 roads and 40,000 uprooted trees. Gujarat received the maximum rainfall and the highest was recorded at 212 mm.
In Ahmedabad, 30 incidents of trees falling were reported and to avoid any flooding, the water level of the Sabarmati River was reduced from 133 to 130 feet by opening the river gates, The Indian Express reported.
According to reports, the state had stored 1,700 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen for emergencies along with 160 ‘ICU on wheels’ with more than 700 doctors on duty, fearing the damage by the cyclone.
Union Minister Amit Shah spoke to the chief ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and the administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to review the situation and damage.
(With Inputs from New Indian Express, NDTV)
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