The cyclone is likely to hit the Gujarat coast early on June 13
Cyclone Vayu moves towards Gujarat coast. Image: Earth Nullschool Authorities in Gujarat are on high alert as Cyclone Vayu nears the state’s coastline.
Vayu is likely to cross the Saurashtra coast between Porbandar and Mahuva as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm on the morning of June 13, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
On June 12, the cyclone was about 420 kilometres west-northwest of Goa and 320 km south-southwest of Mumbai according to the IMD.
The districts of Kutch, Dwarka, Porbandar, Rajkot, Junagadh, Gir-Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar in Gujarat and the Union Territory of Diu are most likely to be affected.
Authorities are evacuating 300,000 people from the identified affected areas and housing them in 700 hundred relief shelters according to Reuters.
The international news agency also reported that berthing of ships had been halted at the port of Sikka.
Union Minister of Home Amit Shah has called for a high-level meeting to review to the preparation of the concerned states and union territories.
The home ministry has issued a detailed advisory to Gujarat and Diu to take all precautionary measures, with a view to ensuring that no human causalities occur and minimum damage is caused to vital infrastructure, according to media reports.
The home ministry has also called for reviving all essential services as early as possible after the cyclone.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are being deployed in Gujarat and Diu. The teams will carry out Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) operations in the affected areas.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vjay Rupani has urged people to stay alert and not to panic.
He has also requested tourists visiting the sites of Somnath, Dwarka and Kutch to leave for safer places or return to their respective states by the afternoon of June 12 in the wake of the cyclone.
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