ACT Alert
India 2/98

Cyclone hits western India

Geneva, June 10, 1998
A cyclonic storm with wind speeds of about 130 km per hour hit parts of western India yesterday morning. The death toll was reported by Reuters today to be 205 while about 15,000 people have been evacuated to safer places.

The districts reported to be worst hit are Jamnagar, Bulsar, Banaskantha, Kutch, Junagadh, Porbander, Ameroli, Bhavnagar, Surendernagar and Surat in Saurashtra region of Gujarat along with districts of Barmer and Jalore in Rajasthan.

ACT member Church Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) has sent survey teams to affected areas on the Gujarat coast and to Barmer and Jalore districts of Rajasthan. CASA initially plans to assist approximately 5,000 affected families with food, shelter and standard relief kits. These plans may change as more information becomes available.

CASA reports that the cyclone has rendered hundreds of people homeless as huts and cabins along the coast were blown away. Trees and electrical poles were uprooted, communications paralyzed, power supplies cut and traffic on highways stopped. The damage caused to public and private properties is extensive.

This alert may or may not be followed by an ACT Appeal.

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