Cyclone Vayu: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chairs meeting with Navy officials to take stock of situation, updates on deployment

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has taken stock of the situation on account of 'Cyclone Vayu'. The Defence Minister reviewed all the measures that that were being undertaken to tackle various situations that could develop as Vayu's system hits India's west coast.

The MoD meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh was thoroughly briefed by Indian Navy officials who presented the preparations mounted and actions that had been taken:

The Raksha Mantri further tweeted the updates he received from the Naval officials, listing the naval and aerial assets have been put on standby for deployment. Along with the ships and aircraft, relief material and drinking water was also stocked up in case of emergency:

Earlier on Thursday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast that 'Cyclone Vayu' would not hit Gujarat directly. Even so, the coastal districts will be affected. The seas around the state turned rough as the cyclone intensified:

To assure Centre's complete support, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani:

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response (NDRF) rescued a pregnant woman who was awaiting a pre-term delivery. The woman hailed from Shiyalbet Village. Several others were also evacuated by the NDRF:

The plight of the situation further increased after outbound and inbound trains were cancelled. The Western Railway also included partial cancellation as a precautionary measure: 

Cyclone Vayu won't make landfall in Gujarat, but it will drastically impact the coastal districts in the state. Vayu is said to be the worst cyclone in years, as compared to the last one which hit the port town of Kandla. The cyclone will move along and parallel to Saurashtra and Kutch coast, the IMD stated.