Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said given the present set of indicators, Cyclone Burevi is expected to enter Kerala on Friday.
“According to the IMD, Burevi is expected to enter Indian territory at Tuticorin coast either tonight (Thursday) or tomorrow morning (Friday). By tomorrow afternoon, it is expected to touch base in Kerala… it is expected to arrive in the Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram border and from there, it will go into the Arabian Sea. Once in land the expected maximum wind speed is expected to be 60 kms in an hour,” he said.
Vijayan said that districts like Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Alappuzha can expect very heavy rainfall.
“All have to be very cautious and have to be on alert till it leaves our state. All the basic arrangements have been done and officials are also ready. Mobile operators have been asked to ensure that they provide generators at all tower sites. Air Force and Navy are also all ready, in case a need arises,” he added.
Vijayan said in the morning Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called him to assure of all help and asked that there should be no hesitation to call for any need.
He said that eight teams of the National Disaster Rescue Force have already arrived and two teams are posted in Idukki district, while the other teams are in other districts, where Burevi could have an impact.
As many as 2,849 relief camp sites have been identified and by now, a few of them are already functional.
–IANS
sg/vd
