Chief Minister Vijay Rupani officially announced that Vaayu was no longer a threat as it had moved westward.
Gujarat can finally heave a sigh of relief after Cyclone Vayu failed to make landfall in the state and just skirted it. Though IMD informed on Thursday that the cyclone had sidestepped the state, it had warned of heavy winds and rains for the state and as a result the state had continued to be on the alert.
However, the relief is likely to be short lived. IMD officials said that Cyclone Vayu is likely to recurve and hit the Kutch coast of Gujarat. "Vayu is likely to recurve on June 16 and hit Kutch between June 17-18," M Rajeevan, secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told agencies. He however said the intensity of the cyclone is likely to get reduced. He added that it may hit the coast as a cyclonic storm or a deep depression. He said the Gujarat government has been alerted about the possible recurvature of the cyclonic storm.
On Friday, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani officially announced that Vaayu was no longer a threat as it had moved westward. The state machinery will also be asking the 2.75 lakh people who had been evacuated to various shelters to return to their home. "Gujarat is now completely safe. There is no threat from Cyclone Vayu now as the storm has veered towards the west in the Arabian Sea. Around 2.75 lakh people who were evacuated from the coastal areas are free to return to their homes," he said at a press conference.
(A tree falls on a vehicle during the course of cyclone Vayu in Surat —ANI)
The state will also be providing financial assistance of around Rs 5.5 crore to those who had been evacuated.
The government also announced that the schools and colleges that were shut in view of the cyclone threat will reopen from Saturday. Rupani also said that senior officials and ministers who were deployed in the affected coastal districts to supervise relief and rescue operations will also be asked to return.
Meanwhile, road transport buses have resumed their operations and even trains that were cancelled are functioning although some trains continued to be cancelled. Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will remain stationed along the coastline for another 48 hours,the chief minister added.
Thanks to the cyclone the state receive moderate to very heavy rains in 114 talukas of the state most of them in coastal areas. Talala in Gir Somnath recorded the highest rainfall of six inches. Sutrapada in Gir Somnath received 4 inches of rainfall in just twelve hours.
Meanwhile the fishermen in coastal district have claimed huge losses due to Cyclone Vayu. The fishermen have alleged that the losses occurred because they didn't have enough space to park the boats.
The fishermen have appealed to the government to take steps for ensuring sufficient places for boats to be parked. They have also asked for compensation for the losses incurred.
VAYU EFFECT
- Cyclone Vayu was to hit the Gujarat coast on Thursday, but it changed course on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. It skirted the Gujarat coast affecting Gir, Somnath, Diu, Junagadh and Porbandar.
- Thanks to the cyclone the state receive moderate to very heavy rains in 114 talukas of the state most of them in coastal areas.
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