The authorities in Gujarat’s Kutch district have asked people living in huts and makeshift houses to take shelter in schools, temples or other buildings after the IMD said that a deep depression over the area might turn into a cyclonic storm by Friday morning.

Following the warning by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Kutch Collector Amit Arora issued a video message asking people living in Abdasa, Mandvi and Lakhpat talukas to leave their huts and kutcha houses and take shelter in any school or other buildings.

He also urged locals to come forward and provide shelter to such poor people in their houses till Friday evening.

In a statement on Thursday night, IMD said, “Deep depression over Kutch and adjoining areas is likely to move nearly westwards into northeast Arabian sea and intensify into a cyclonic storm during next 12 hours. It would then move west-northwestwards away from Indian coast during subsequent two days.” After the IMD warning, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reached the State Emergency Operations Centre in Gandhinagar on Thursday night and talked to Arora through video conference about the district administration’s preparedness, said an official release.

If the deep depression turns into a cyclone, it will be named Asna, a name suggested by Pakistan. This is a rare occurrence that a deep depression over land has converted to a cyclonic storm over the sea.

The formation of a cyclone in August in the Arabian Sea is also rare.

“During this period, the sea condition will be rough and wind speed may reach up to 75 kmph along and off the Gujarat coast,” the IMD has said.

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