‘Tau Te’ storm hits off Gujarat coast – Surat airport closed, trees down

Thunderstorms hit at over 150 kmph off Gujarat’s coastal areas, threat still in some areas

Cyclonic storm Tau Te (Tauktae) has also caused havoc in some parts of Gujarat. This storm hit the coast of Gujarat late at night. It has been said that when the storm hit the coasts, its speed was more than 150 km per hour. However, after colliding, the speed of the storm decreased. In Gujarat, many trees were uprooted in the coastal areas and electric poles were also dropped by this strong storm. Surat airport has been closed till 1 pm due to Tau Te storm.

Alert in Gandhinagar-Ahmedabad

Now the mighty Tau Te Hurricane is moving ahead of Diu, Bhavnagar and Amreli. At present, a high alert has been issued in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. It is being told that strong winds can also prevail in these cities and there is a possibility of damage. On the morning of Tuesday, 18 May, strong winds have started in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Late night, the affected areas of Gujarat, where the storm collided, the power supply has been affected due to falling electric poles. In Somnath and adjoining districts of Gujarat, the army removed trees that fell on the roads late at night.

Impact seen in Mumbai-Goa

Earlier, the effect of Tau Te was seen in Mumbai. Where more than 300 trees fell due to strong winds. Also about 6 people died. Mumbai and Goa airports were also closed for a few hours due to the storm. Apart from this, this storm has also shown its havoc in Goa and Karnataka. Here too, several hundred trees fell and the power supply in the coastal areas came to a standstill.

180 teams of Indian Army deployed

In view of the destruction of Tau Te, preparations were also made by the Indian Army. On behalf of the army, it was told that a total of 180 teams have been deployed in the affected areas for relief and rescue operations. These teams have been deployed in all the affected states. It was stated on behalf of the army that, as Saurashtra including the Union Territory of Diu (Daman and Diu) is likely to have the most influence, 10 teams have been deployed in Diu to assist the civil authority. These teams of the army have started their work since the storm hit Gujarat.

Navy and NDRF also engaged in work

Along with the Indian Army, the Navy is also engaged in rescue operations. INS Kochi was rapidly dispatched to assist and support a barge (ferry) P305 with 273 personnel stranded away from the Heera Oil Field in the Bombay High Area. INS Talwar and INS Kolkata were also prepared to leave. Naval ships are constantly conducting search operations.

Apart from the army, several teams of NDRF are also continuously deployed in the storm affected areas and are engaged in relief rescue work. Although there are no reports of much damage to the people due to the storm, but some houses have been damaged due to the falling of trees. Traffic was also affected on many roads, where NDRF teams are working to remove these trees.