India and Pakistan Brace for Winds and Flash Floods from Cyclone Biparjoy

MANDVI, India (AP) — A large swath of western India and a region of southern Pakistan that suffered deadly flooding last year were bracing for more downpours as Cyclone Biparjoy raced toward landfall. Thursday.

Rain was pouring down and skies were darkening in western India and southern Pakistan along the Arabian Sea, where dust storms complicated evacuation and rescue efforts. Authorities expected conditions to worsen for two to three days after the cyclone made landfall in Gujarat, India.

Authorities in the two South Asian countries kept the alert level high in anticipation of the typhoon. It was expected to make landfall near the port of Jakhau, in the Indian district of Kutch, and flood the area. In Pakistan, Keti Bandar, in the southern province of Sindh, which was battered by flooding last year, was also in the storm’s path.

The bazaars and beaches of Mandvi, India, which is normally a bustling coastal city known for building wooden boats, were deserted on Thursday and under government lockdown orders.

Thousands of people were evacuated in India, bringing the total number of people moved to emergency camps to 75,000. In Pakistan, 73,000 people were moved to safer areas and the authorities provided them with shelter and food, said Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, head of the National Disaster Management Authority.

The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour on Thursday, according to the Pakistani agency, and was expected to hit Sindh province, where record flooding occurred last summer. At least 1,739 people were killed and 33 million displaced in floodwaters that caused some $30 billion worth of damage.

Experts say climate change is causing an increase in cyclones in the Arabian Sea region, making preparedness for natural disasters even more urgent. Pakistan is among the 10 countries in the world most affected by climate change, despite the fact that its contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is less than 1%.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Arasu reported from Bangalore, India. Associated Press journalist Muhammad Farooq contributed to this report from Badin, Pakistan.

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