NDRF airlifts 5 more teams to Mumbai as Cyclone Nisarga closes in

Battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mumbai is now bracing itself for the fury of Cyclone Nisarga which is predicted to make landfall at Alibaug, about 90 km away south of the city Wednesday afternoon.

Battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mumbai is now bracing itself for the fury of Cyclone Nisarga which is predicted to make landfall at Alibaug, about 90 km away south of the city Wednesday afternoon.

Fishermen with their boat at Mahim Beach as red alert is issued due to the possibility of Cyclone Nisarga, in Mumbai, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. (PTI photo)

Five more teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are to be airlifted from Vishakhapatnam this evening, officials said.

This will boost the number of NDRF teams in Mumbai to eight. Three teams are already stationed at Andheri. Each team will have approximately 45 personnel and will be equipped with rescue boats, tree and pole cutters, life jackets, ropes, breathing masks, floaters, etc.

The NDRF had recently been in action in Odisha and West Bengal in the wake of Cyclone Amphan last month.

Authorities have already evacuated 2,700 people from Alibaug and moved them to nearest relief centres.

Covid-19 patients have been shifted from BKC Covid quarantine center to NSCI Worli quarantine center following the cyclone alert in Mumbai. The city has recorded over 41,000 cases of Covid-19 so far.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said it was taking all precautions including relocating people from unsafe localities to ensure zero casualty. It requested citizens to stay away from the sea and not stand under trees or pillars during the storm

The Met office has warned that the cyclonic storm will have a maximum sustained wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph.