Cyclone Tauktae weekens,left behind a trail of destruction in Gujarat

Extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae has weakened into a 'very severe cyclonic storm' after hitting Gujarat coast. Tauktae has now crossed the Gujarat coast and lies overland. India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, Tauktae with winds gusting up to 185 km per hour began making landfall on the Gujarat coast on Monday night. Armed forces and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been carrying out reliefe operations.Towns and villages plunged into darkness due to power outages and several trees and electric poles were uprooted in areas near Gujarat's coast. Initial reports said that four people were killed in Gujarat as cyclone Tauktae pounded parts of the state and left behind a trail of destruction along the western coast, officials said on Tuesday. The landfall process of the eye of the extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae, which hit the Gujarat coast in Saurashtra region between Diu and Una, ended around midnight.

Authorities snapped power supply in many areas of the worst affected coastal districts of Gir Somnath, Amreli, Junagadh, and Bhavnagar as a precautionary measure. The maximum impact of the cyclonic storm was witnessed in Porbandar, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts of Saurashtra. Earlier, more than 2 lakh persons had been evacuated and shifted to the safer places in the coastal districts of Gujarat. About 50 teams of NDRF are engaged in rescue and relief works in the coastal areas of Gujarat. The state government had shifted over two lakh people to safer locations before the cyclone. In a relief to the people
Electric supply to over 23 lakh consumers in western Maharashtra was impacted because of the Tauktae cyclonic storm. Supply to over 56 per cent of the consumers in Palghar, Thane, Kolhapur, Pune, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad districts has been restored. Gusty winds reaching the speed of 114 kmph and heavy showers lashed Mumbai and its neighbouring areas on Monday, uprooting trees and disrupting local train services in the metropolis.