VASCO/PANAJI
Authorities in Goa remained on their toes on Saturday as strong winds and sea waves battered Goa’s coastline, an effect of storm Tauktae which is dangerously headed towards the Gujarat coast.
The State, which is currently reeling under the pandemic, is bracing for strong winds and heavy rains on Sunday, even as the disaster management teams coordinated efforts for the storm impact.
The storm, which was just over 100 kms distance from Goa’s coast on Saturday at the time of going to the press, brought heavy winds and rainfall to the State. Weather officials said the intensity of the winds and rains will be more on Sunday.
On Saturday, the heavy winds and showers destroyed plantations and uprooted trees at many places. The IMD predicted wind speeds will reach 80 kmph along the Maharashtra and Goa coasts on Sunday.
A team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) arrived in Goa on Saturday morning to prepare and assist the authorities in the possible rescue and relief operations arising due to the cyclone. After arriving from Pune, the NDRF team met Mormugao Deputy Collector Sachin Desai and had a discussion on various issues after which it also went for a site visit of some locations.
“The team consists of around 20-30 members and they had arrived in Vasco in a bus, truck and jeep. After a meeting, the NDRF team and Desai went to the Baina beach and other locations to assess the situation,” said a source.
“The team will be stationed at Vasco, either in the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) Hall, Ravindra Bhavan or Vasco Residency.
