Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to weaken a bit after being re-curved towards Gujarat's Kutch area and adjoining south Pakistan. However, it is still threatening to swamp the region with storm surges, strong winds and heavy rains. Since its formation on June 6 in the southeast Arabian Sea, Biparjoy had maintained a northward track, gathering strength and becoming an extremely severe cyclonic storm on June 11, packing wind speed of more than 160 kmph, and then losing intensity a day later.
The powerful cyclone that is expected to make landfall on Thursday (June 15) evening near Gujarat's Jakhu port in Kutch district and adjoining Pakistan coastline has brought back memories of the 1998 super cyclone that wreacked havoc in Gujarat.
In order to monitor the cyclone better, a war room has been set up at the Meteorological Headquarters in Delhi. The war room is divided into 4 parts. The first part is the satellite application room where images of cyclone are received. The second part is observation and tracking where the images obtained from the satellite are observed by the scientists and the movement of the cyclone is tracked. The third part is the forecast or cyclone warning system, where all forecasts regarding cyclones are updated. The fourth part is forecast dissemination, from where all the forecast data and bulletins related to the cyclone are issued.
Till now at least 50000 people have been evacuated to safer places in Gujarat as joint teams of state government, Army, Navy and Indian Coast Guard carry out massive evacuation in view of Cyclone Biparjoy.
