Mumbai/Ahmedabad: With cyclone ‘Nisarga’ set to make landfall on Wednesday, Maharashtra and Gujarat activated their disaster response mechanism, deploying NDRF teams and evacuating people from areas likely to be hit.

The two western states, already battling a raging pandemic, which has put their health infrastructure under severe strain, opened new fronts to tackle the fallout of the cyclone which is expected to make landfall close to Mumbai on Wednesday.

As Maharashtra and Gujarat – likely to be impacted the most – braced for the cyclone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to their Chief Ministers and assured them all possible help from the Centre.

Cyclone `Nisarga’ is very likely to intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm” over the next 12 hours and cross Maharashtra and south Gujarat coast on Wednesday afternoon, the India meteorological department  said on Tuesday.

Ten teams of the National Disaster Response Force  have been deployed in parts of Maharashtra for rescue operations in view of the cyclonic storm, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said.

“Out of the 16 NDRF units, 10 have been deployed for rescue operation during the cyclone, and six SDRF units are in reserve,” the Chief Minister’s Office said in a graphic shared on Twitter.

It said precautions will be taken during the relief and rehabilitation works, considering prevalence of COVID-19 in the state.

Elaborating on the government’s preparedness for the approaching cyclonic storm, the CMO tweeted that an alert has been issued for Mumbai city and suburbs, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.