Cyclone Ockhi, which started moving north after affecting Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep, hit shacks in North Goa on Monday. High tide washed away beach beds and flooded restaurants on the coast, The Indian Express reported.
Shack owners said the government gave them no warnings, even though fishermen were told to avoid the sea. North Goa’s Pernem district, near the Maharashtra border, was affected the worst.
“At this stage, we are counting the number of shacks that continue to be under threat of increased water levels,” Cruz Cardoso, president of the Shack Owners’ Welfare Society, told The Indian Express. The association claims 80% of the 360 shacks in Pernem were damaged.
Shacks in Ashwem, Morjim, Mandrem and Keri were also hit.
In Mumbai and its suburbs, the Maharashtra government declared a precautionary holiday for schools and colleges after the India Meteorological Department warned of rain and thundershowers owing to Cyclone Ockhi. Rain lashed Mumbai on Monday evening, and the city is expected to receive light to moderate showers on Tuesday.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah’s rallies in Rajula, Mahuva and Shihor in Gujarat were also cancelled, ANI reported. Shah is among several high-profile leaders campaigning for the upcoming state elections.
Rescue efforts in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep have been under way since Saturday. So far, various agencies have rescued 1,540 people, including fishermen, affected by Cyclone Ockhi, the Centre said on Monday, according to PTI.
At least 243 fishermen in Tamil Nadu, 250 in Kerala and 1,047 people in Lakshadweep have been rescued so far, PTI reported, quoting an official statement released after a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami said the state government was trying to locate 260 fishermen who were still missing, Deccan Chronicle reported. Around 891 people are at relief centres in Kanyakumari, he said, adding that electricity would be restored in the city in the next 48 hours.
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