On Monday morning, Cyclone Tauktae morphed into an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” with maximum sustained surface wind speed of 180-190 kmph, husting to 210. At 9 am today, the IMD had issued a nowcast warning predicting moderate to intense spells of rain with gusty winds at isolated places in the districts of Raigad, Palghar, Mumbai, Thane and Ratnagiri during next 3 hours.
The cyclone has already left a trail of destruction in its wake. Visuals from other states show fallen trees, damaged houses, blocked roads and more. The power supply had been affected in many states even as several individuals were killed and others rendered homeless. Keep in mind that this comes even as India remains in the grips of a far deadlier second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Maharashtra rushing to batten down the hatches over the last two days, several important announcements have been made. For one, Mumbai will be halting the COVID-19 vaccination drive on Monday in light of the situation. A tweet by the BMC indicated that the innoculation drive at all MCGM and public vaccination centres stands cancelled.
In separate tweets, the BMC also urged Mumbaikars to avoid venturing out of their homes and going near the coast. Responding to tweeted visuals of trees falling in Wadala, the Municipal corporation handle asked people to not park vehicles or stand under vulnerable trees.
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