30 thousand people to be evacuated from Gujrat today

Ahmedabad, October 29, 2014 (Agencies) Cyclone Nilofar building  in the Arabian Sea, will hit Gujarat and Pakistan's southern coastal areas before noon on Saturday, a day later than originally expected. Around 30,000 people living along the coastal areas in Kutch district of Gujarat will be evacuated to safer areas from today.

The cyclone, still a very severe one, is currently 900 km from Naliya in Gujarat and about 910 km away from Karachi in Pakistan. The storm is gusting up to a maximum speed of 210 km/hour and is expected to make landfall in Gujarat before noon on Saturday. On Friday, the two  coastal areas Saurashtra and Kutch will see heavy rains and gales and



the sea will turn extremely rough, warned the Met Department. We are preparing for the worst to happen, let us also pray that cyclone Nilofar gets subdued and doesn't bring serious damage," said Chief Minister Anandiben who has been reviewing preparations.

The Centre has also directed agencies like the National Disaster Relief Force and the National Disaster Management Authority, as well as officials from the departments of health, telecom and water resources to be ready for any eventuality. The Indian Air Force has also been alerted. The Centre is closely  monitoring the situation, said Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth, who reviewed the preparedness of the state government today.