An orange alert has been issued for Mumbai, with the IMD warning of very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds on Monday as the very severe cyclonic storm Tauktae is likely to pass close from the Mumbai coast towards Gujarat. The Chattrapati Shivaji Airport and the iconic Bandra-Worli sea link have been shut after Cyclone Tauktae intensified into an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ early morning on Monday.

Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stationed in the western suburbs of Mumbai have been put on alert. Teams of the Indian Navy are also kept on standby, officials said on Sunday night.

Also Read | List of dos and don’ts to follow while preparing for Cyclone Tauktae

The movement of vehicles on Mumbai’s iconic Bandra-Worli sea link has been blocked by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), as the Mumbai airport has also been closed down from 11 am to 2 pm on Monday.

Five temporary shelters each have been put up in 24 civic wards of the metropolis so that citizens can be shifted there, if necessary.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai, warning of very heavy rains at isolated places with strong winds on Monday as Tauktae is likely to pass close to the Mumbai coast while moving towards Gujarat.

Besides, six teams of the Mumbai fire brigade’s flood rescue unit are deployed on six beaches in the city, a senior civic official said.

Also read: NDRF prepares 100 rescue teams with 4,700 members for Cyclone Tauktae

Another official said over 500 of the 580 patients have been shifted to other COVID-19 hospitals from ICUs of jumbo Covid centres till 10 pm on Sunday.

“The shifting of the patients started on Saturday night and it went on throughout the day and night (on Sunday) since last night,” a BMC spokesperson said.

Officials said that shifting of these patients was taking time as most of them are on oxygen support.

The BMC had on Friday alerted city hospitals to avoid last-minute confusion over beds and availability of oxygen devices.

The civic body has asked ward officers to ensure hoardings do not fall on the road and to remove them if they fall. The 24 ward officers have been told to be ready with manpower and equipment and prepare shelter homes in case people living near low-lying areas need to be relocated, the official said.

The vaccination programme has been suspended on Monday due to the cyclone warning.

Also Read | Cyclone Tauktae kills 6 on battered west coast

According to IMD officials, the very severe cyclonic storm over the east-central Arabian sea moved north-northwest with a speed of about 19 kmph and lay centred at 5.30 hours on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the Met department said the cyclone could cause heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places in north Konkan, Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar on Monday.

The IMD has predicted extremely heavy rainfall in Raigad on Monday.

Also read: Explained: How cyclones are named

On  Sunday, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar took stock of the cyclone preparedness after visiting the BMC disaster control room.

Pednekar appealed to citizens to strictly follow the instructions given by the civic administration from time to time.

Meanwhile, in Jalgaon in north Maharashtra, two people died and another was injured after a tree fell on a hut, an official said. It wasn’t clear if the incident was directly related to the severity of the cyclonic storm.