Earlier, the cyclone lashed Pakistan’s coast with torrential rains and heavy winds Sunday, damaging mud houses and submerging roads in the country’s largest city. Seven people were electrocuted in floodwaters, officials said.
The cyclone, after weakening into a depression, ensured rains all along the coastline through most of Sunday, continuing through the night into Monday. Moderate rainfall was reported in Kutch, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, and Amreli.
Even the interior areas of the state were not spared the impact of the cyclone with winds and rain reported from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat Sunday night and Monday morning.
Though the cyclonic threat has receded, the administration has lowered its guard but continues to be on stand-by. According to Kutch district collector M.Thenarasan, the situation is being monitored. All manpower and equipment will remain in place until the cyclone fully and truly passes over, he added. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Reserve Police (SRP) contingents will remain in place for some more time, state government officials said here. Authorities feared worse flooding was to come in and around Karachi and tried to evacuate people from their homes elsewhere along the country’s southern coastline.
Some villagers refused to move, but several thousand people shifted to higher ground, said Hamal Kalmati, a government minister in Balochistan province.
He said many mud houses in Gawadar and Pasni districts had already collapsed. The storm made landfall late Sunday to the east of Karachi, bringing winds as high as 80 km per hour.
The Meteorological Department said ocean storm surges of between 2 and 4 meters were likely in Karachi and other coastal towns.
The storm was forecast to lose strength as it moved inland. Originally of cyclone strength, Tropical Storm Phet hit Oman on Friday, killing at least two people and causing widespread flooding.
In Karachi, hours of rain left roads under more than one foot of water. Electricity was cut in many districts in the mostly low-lying city of 18 million people.
Many parts of Karachi and other towns along Pakistan’s coast are desperately poor. Roads, bridges, houses and drainage systems are already in bad condition, making them vulnerable to high winds, heavy rain and rough seas.
The heavy rains were welcomed by some residents in Karachi, which is baking in the summer heat.
“Let the storm come. We are not afraid,” said Saeed Ali, a 17-year student who was playing cricket on a normally busy street. “We rarely get rain in summer. This is a golden moment.”
