Cyclone bypasses Mumbai as heavy rains lash coastal areas.

Byline: Pamela RaghunathCorrespondent

Mumbai Maharashtra and south Gujarat were spared the ferocity of a cyclone, Phyan, from the Arabian Sea though city authorities took all efforts to warn people of the stormy weather that could have hit the city and the coast and brought on extensive damage to life and property.

Mumbai and the Konkan coast did suffer from freak weather conditions of heavy rains and rough seas on Tuesday and yesterday, abnormal for the month of November, but by late afternoon, the weathermen announced that the cyclone had bypassed Mumbai and south Gujarat. However, they maintained an alert for the Konkan region where the inclement weather had uprooted hundreds of trees as well as electric posts. Madan Damle, a resident of Khed in Ratnagiri district, told Gulf News,

"There has been no electricity for the last seven to eight hours in Khed and adjoining areas. The rains have also disrupted the state transport bus service. The Mumbai-Goa highway was also affected for some time."

While an Indian Navy helicopter rescued fishermen from a sinking vessel off Ratnagiri, the Coast Guard assisted two offshore vessels at Bombay High which were stranded at sea, Captain M Nambiar, Defence Department, said. Fishermen have been warned of venturing into the sea though many fishermen are reportedly missing in the cyclone-hit Arabian Sea.

Not taking any chances for a city that has been often hit by natural and man-made disasters, the Maharashtra government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked all schools and colleges to close early and also send home employees of government offices and private companies by 2pm. The Central Railway ran 12 additional trains to cope up with the afternoon rush. The BMC evacuated those living in hutments near the seashore and made arrangements for affected people to spend the nights in civic schools in case of an emergency.

Earlier in the day, weathermen had forecast gale wind speed reaching 70-80km/h to 90km/h off Maharashtra and south Gujarat coast for the next 24 hours. They had also warned of high waves hitting the coast of Alibag in Konkan, Mumbai and Thane in Maharashtra and Valsad district of Gujarat. The cyclone was a result of a deep depression in south-east and east central Arabian Sea. By afternoon, they said the cyclonic storm had weakened and had crossed the Konkan coast between Alibag and Mumbai.

Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2009. All rights reserved.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company