Cyclone Biparjoy knocked out power and threw shipping containers into the sea in western India on Friday before weakening as it headed toward Pakistan, officials said. More than 180,000 people took shelter in the two countries, but some of Pakistan's evacuees prepared to return home as the storm weakened. Indian officials said electricity had been restored in some villages, while many others were still without power. The storm's toll was felt especially where it made landfall in India. A man and his son died when they tried to save their livestock in Gujarat state. India, Pakistan brace for winds, flash flooding as Cyclone Biparjoy makes landfall The storm had windspeeds of 85 kph (53 mph) and gusting up to 105 kph (65 mph) through the coastal regions of western Gujarat. The full extent of the damage in western India wasn't immediately known. In addition to the two deaths, 23 people were injured in various areas, officials said. About 100,000 people who were evacuated in western India have been temporarily relocated to relief camps, authorities said. The storm did other damage upon landfall, including uprooting trees and electricity poles. Officials in the coastal town of Mandvi said heavy winds threw some shipping containers into the sea at the Mundra port, one of India's largest. India, Pakistani coasts on high alert a day before Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall Pakistanis were especially on alert after deadly flooding last year. Wind-driven rain pelted southern coastal towns in Pakistan for a second day Friday. The cyclone was expected to cause flash floods in the country's south. People in that region lined up to receive food donated by charities, aid agencies and local authorities. Pakistan will decide on Saturday whether displaced people can be allowed to go back. “The storm is expected to weaken first to a cyclonic storm and then to a depression by this evening,” a government statement said. Shakir Din, a fisherman in the coastal town of Badin, said his family and neighbors may soon return home. The Indian Meteorological Department said Cyclone Biporjoy set a record for the longest lifespan over the Arabian Sea, more than 10 days. Cyclone Kyarr in 2019 had a life of nine days, it said. The Gujarat government said it deployed 184 rapid action squads to rescue wild animals and clear fallen trees in Gir National Park, home to nearly 700 Asiatic lions. India, Pakistan deploy rescuers and plan evacuations ahead of severe cyclone Pakistan’s Sindh province experienced one of the country's deadliest floods last summer, partly induced by climate change. At least 1,739 people were killed and 33 million were displaced. The World Health Organization said Thursday that it was supporting Pakistan’s efforts to deal with the impact of the cyclone. Pakistan’s government and local aid groups delivered free food and drinking water to displaced people. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said his government was protecting those in the storm's path. On Thursday, UNICEF warned that more than 625,000 children were at immediate risk in Pakistan and India. “In Pakistan, Cyclone Biparjoy threatens a new crisis for children and families in Sindh, the province worst affected by last year’s devastating floods,” said Noala Skinner, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia. A 2021 study found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea increased significantly between 1982 and 2019, and experts say the increase will continue, making preparations for natural disasters more urgent.

The coastal regions of India and Pakistan were on high alert Wednesday with tens of thousands being evacuated a day before Cyclone Biparjoy was expected to make landfall. The India Meteorological Department said the cyclone was now packing maximum sustained winds of up to 145 kilometers per hour (90 mph). It is projected to make landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district of India's Gujarat state on Thursday. Residents living within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the coast in Gujarat were evacuated, and those living within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) may also have to move out, officials have said. Also Read: India, Pakistan deploy rescuers and plan evacuations ahead of severe cyclone Four people have been killed so far in incidents related to the cyclone, including three boys who drowned off Mumbai's coast and a woman who was killed due to an accident caused by strong winds in Gujarat. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing to find one more person who drowned in the seas off Mumbai. Experts say climate change is leading to an increase in cyclones in the Arabian Sea region, making preparations for natural disasters all the more urgent. At a relief camp for displaced people in the Pakistani village of Gharo in Sindh province, wage laborer Allah Noor, 59, said soldiers came and evacuated them amid a strong windstorm. Also Read: India, Pakistan brace for severe cyclone, deploy rescuers to coastal regions In Kutch, where the cyclone was expected to hit land, 57-year-old boat owner and businessman Adam Karim Dhobi said this was the worst storm he'd seen since 1998. "We have parked our boats in safe places," Dhobi said. "We are praying to God that this cyclone doesn't cause too much damage here." The Press Trust of India news agency said nearly 40,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps in Gujarat. Nikhil Mudholkar from the National Disaster Response Force who was overseeing relief operations in Devbhoomi Dwarka district along Gujarat's coast, said they were fully prepared and were now in waiting mode. Also Read: Heavy rains in northwest Pakistan leave 25 dead, 145 injured "We have deployed 23 teams and have moved everyone living near the coast to safer grounds," Mudholkar added. "Windspeeds have picked up now and rains have started too." In Pakistan, despite strong winds and rain, authorities said all people from vulnerable areas have been moved to safer places in the southern districts, including Thatta, Keti Bandar, Sajawal and Badin — regions that only last summer were affected by the devastating floods that displaced thousands. For many there, it ws a second displacement in less than a year. People packed up as many of their belongings they could into their cars and left — either on their own or under troop escort — heading to relief camps set up inside government buildings and schools. At the Gharo relief camp, 80-year-old Bayan Bibi said there was no medicine for the sick available at the camp. On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered the evacuations from risk areas and asked local authorities to arrange food, shelter and medical facilities for the displaced. Pakistan's Climate Minister Sherry Rehman urged people not to panic but work with the authorities, promising they would be taken to safer places. The cyclone has "extensive damaging potential" and is likely to impact Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts the most, India's IMD has said. Fishing activities have been suspended in both countries until June 16. All ports in the region including the major ports of Kandla and Mundra have been shut. Dozens of trains and flights that were scheduled to ply in this region have been diverted or canceled. Also Tuesday, India's home minister Amit Shah held an emergency meeting with senior officials to review preparedness and announced a budget of $972 million for disaster management. A recent study shows that the Arabian Sea has warmed up by almost 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since March this year, making conditions favorable for severe cyclones, he said. "The oceans have become warmer already on account of climate change," Raghu Murtugudde, an Earth system scientist at the University of Maryland said. Another study, in 2021, found that the frequency, duration and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea had increased significantly between 1982 and 2019, he said. Cyclone Tauktae in 2021 was the last severe cyclone that made landfall in the same region. It claimed 174 lives, a relatively low figure thanks to extensive preparations ahead of the cyclone. In 1998, a cyclone that hit Gujarat state claimed more than 1,000 lives and caused excessive damage. A cyclone that hit Sindh province and the city of Karachi in 1965 killed more than 10,000 people.