Authorities have ordered the evacuation of coastal areas near Sindh as a cyclone is expected to hit the area sometime on Tuesday 26 June 2007.

Below are extracts of an article published by The News International:

The authorities have ordered evacuation of fishing settlements and villages near the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan on Monday [25 June 2007], after the Met Office warned a cyclone was expected to hit the country’s coastline sometime on Tuesday [26 June 2007].

More torrential rains with strong winds of 50-70 knots are expected to pummel Karachi and other coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan as a tropical cyclone system 03B, nicknamed Yemyn, has formed in the north Arabian Sea, the Met Office said in a warning issued on Monday evening.

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The Sindh government has formed teams to evacuate fishermen close to the shores to safer places, the chief minister’s adviser on home affairs said on Monday, while a news agency quoting officials from Balochistan reported that around 2,000 people had been evacuated to higher ground from areas along the Arabian Sea coast.

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“A monsoon weather system or deep depression... is likely to move in a west/north-westerly direction and may bring widespread rains/strong gusty winds with scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall in Sindh, especially in southern Sindh and coastal areas, including Karachi,” the Met Office forecast issued at 2 p.m. on Monday said.

Later, the cyclone is expected to move towards Balochistan’s coastal areas. “Under its influence widespread rains/strong gusty winds with scattered heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall are also likely in Balochistan, especially in the coastal areas, including Gwadar, Jiwani, Pasni, Ormara, Lasbella, etc,” the Met Office said, adding the hilly areas especially in southern Balochistan may experience flash floods.”

The Met Office said the associated surge of storm in the Arabian Sea along Sindh coast is expected to be 10 to 15 feet, whereas the intensity and momentum of sea waves along the Balochistan coast will be 20 to 25 feet high.

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Wasim Akhtar, Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister on Home Affairs, said that the Army had been alerted for any emergency in case of cyclone. While Sindh Provincial Police Officer Maj (retd) Zia-ul-Hasan Khan has put the entire police force on high alert and cancelled the leave of all officials.

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Waqar Bhatti adds: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan said that all civil, armed forces, including Pakistan Navy, Army, and all other departments and organisations concerned were fully prepared to face the situation in the face of the expected cyclone in coastal areas of Sindh.

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He directed all the agencies concerned to remain in constant touch with people and regularly update them on the changing weather conditions and precautionary measures. He also stressed the effective transportation and communication in the province and putting hospitals on alert to deal with any emergency.