Cyclone Temporary shelters put up in Mumbai Navy on standby

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    Mumbai, May 16 (PTI) The IMD has issued an orange
alert for Mumbai warning of very heavy rains at isolated
places with strong winds on Monday as the very severe cyclonic
storm Tauktae is likely to pass close from the Mumbai coast
towards Gujarat.
    Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) stationed in the western suburbs of Mumbai have been
put on alert. Teams of the Indian Navy are also kept on
standby, officials said on Sunday night.
    Besides, six teams of the Mumbai fire brigade's flood
rescue unit are deployed on six beaches in the city, a senior
civic official said.
    Five temporary shelters each are put up in 24 civic
wards of the metropolis so that citizens can be shifted there
if necessary, he said.
    Another official said over 500 of the 580 patients
have been shifted to other COVID-19 hospitals from ICUs of
jumbo Covid centres till 10 pm on Sunday.
    "The shifting of the patients started on Saturday
night and it went on throughout the day and night (on Sunday)
since last night," a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
spokesperson said.
    Officials said that shifting of these patients was
taking time as most of them are on oxygen support.
According to IMD officials, the very severe cyclonic storm
over the east-central Arabian sea moved north-northwest with a
speed of about 19 kmph and lay centred at 5.30 hours on
Sunday.
    "It is very likely to intensify further in the next
24-hours. It is very likely to move north-northwestwards and
reach Gujarat coast in the evening hours of May17 andcross
Gujarat coast between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar
district) around May 18 early morning," an official said.
    Earlier in the day, the Met department said the
cyclone could cause heavy to very heavy rains at isolated
places in north Konkan, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar on Monday.
    The IMD has predicted extremely heavy
rainfall in
Raigad on Monday.
    According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
(BMC), Mumbai didn't receive any rains on Sunday though the
sky was mostly overcast.
    However, the weather mainly remained windy in the
city,
resulting in the falling of four trees in the western
suburbs.
Mumbai had received light rain on Saturday night.
    As part of preparedness, officials said they are
contemplating a possible shut down of the Bandra-Worli Sea
Link as a precautionary measure in view of IMD's announcement
that the cyclone may pass close to the city.
    The BMC had on Friday alerted city hospitals to avoid
last-minute confusion over beds and availability of oxygen
devices.
    The IMD had said the storm is likely to pass the
Mumbai
coast late Saturday or early Sunday from a distance, so
minimal damage is expected. It will, however, cause gusty
winds
and heavy rain in a few places in Mumbai, Thane and
Palghar.
    The IMD had also informed the BMC that Mumbai is not
in the direct line of the threat of the cyclone. However, as
it will pass through the sea near the Mumbai coast, its effect
is likely to be accompanied by rain and strong winds.
The BMC has asked ward officers to ensure hoardings do
not fall
on the road and to remove them if they fall. The 24
ward
officers have been told to be ready with manpower and
equipment
and prepare shelter homes in case people living near
low-lying
areas need to be relocated, the official said.
        The
civic body has suspended the vaccination programme on Monday
due to the cyclone warning.
    Earlier in the day, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar took
stock of the cyclone preparedness after visiting the BMC
disaster control room.
    Pednekar appealed to citizens to strictly follow the
instructions given by the civic administration from time to
time. PTI KK VT
NSK NSK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)