Nisarga cyclone warning issued in Palghar district

Palghar (Maharashtra) [India], June 2 : The district authority of Palghar in Maharashtra on Tuesday issued warning in view of 'Nisarga' cyclone, which is approaching towards the coastal regions of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The authorities have ordered the people to vacate their villages by 5 pm. The cyclone is expected to hit these regions on Wednesday.
Inspector JD Shiv Prasad Rao, NDRF, told ANI: "Due to the cyclone, high windfall and rainfall are expected in the districts. Authority has planned to evacuate all 13 villages by 5 pm within the 2 km of the coastal regions of the district."
"After the cyclone warnings were issued by the authorities, we have been deployed in Dahanu. Currently, there are two NDRF teams -- one in Palghar and the other one in Dahanu," he added.
The district authorities will be harbouring the villagers at St Mary School in Dahanu. They have also asked the villagers to carry essential items including food and water.
The authorities have said that if needed, they will allow some of the villagers to visit their homes tomorrow morning.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been asked to maintain social distancing. But the villagers said that their number more than what the school could accommodate.
The villagers are fearing contracting coronavirus. One of them said: "We might die due to cyclone later but will definitely die of this virus. If one of the villagers has COVID-19, everyone will get exposed to it."
As many as 15 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Maharashtra in view of the Nisarga cyclone -- three teams in Mumbai, four teams in Raigad, two teams each in Palghar, Thane, and Ratnagiri and one each in Sindhudurg and Navi Mumbai.
The administration of these districts has been asked by the State government to shift all the people along the shorelines to relief centres.