Touchte hurricane: 17 Air Force planes, 18 helicopters ready, alert in 6 states

- The NDRF on Saturday increased the number of relief teams from 53 to 100

New delhi date. Sunday, May 16, 2021

According to a report released by the Meteorological Department on Saturday, the hurricane Toukte from the Arabian Sea will take a severe form in the next 2 days. It is reported that on May 18, it will wreak havoc on Porbandar and Nalia coast of Gujarat. In response to the alert, the NDRF has increased the number of hurricane relief teams from 53 to 100. At the same time, all the 6 affected states have also tightened their belts. Officers have also been instructed to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of the people.

At 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Toukte was heading east east over the Arabian Sea, the meteorological department said. From there it will turn into a severe and then extremely severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours. It will proceed from Porbandar in Gujarat to Pakistan on May 18 from noon to evening. Meanwhile, it is forecast to wreak havoc on Porbandar and Nalia coasts.

Meanwhile, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep, Karnataka, Goa, Gujarat and West Rajasthan will receive heavy rains. The wind will blow at a speed of 85 to 95 km per hour over the southeastern Arabian Sea. On the morning of May 16, the wind speed in the coastal areas will reach 130 to 145 km per hour. In Palghar, Maharashtra, 97 boats have not yet returned to shore. The Thane and Palghar administrations have urged people not to leave their homes and stay away from the sea.

100 teams of NDRF ready

The NDRF on Saturday increased the number of teams from 53 to 100 to cope with the hurricane. Of these, 42 teams have been deployed in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra and 26 have been placed on standby. Apart from that, 32 teams have been kept in backup which will be airlifted to the front as required.

All the team members have been vaccinated against corona and the teams have left Bhubaneswar for Gujarat.