The Surat municipal commissioner requested residents to watch out for unstable structures, stay protected from solar panels, and prune large trees. (Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)In view of a red alert and a warning of heavy rain accompanied by high-velocity winds, all schools and colleges in Ahmedabad and the central Gujarat districts of Vadodara, Anand, and Kheda will remain closed on Friday, officials said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings of extremely heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning, and squall for Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Anand, Narmada, Chhota Udepur, Bhavnagar, Botad, Bharuch, Valsad, Surat, Tapi, Dang, and Navsari on Friday. As part of preventive measures, Surat district and city administrations began evacuating people living in low-lying areas. Municipal Commissioner M Nagarajan said in a video message on Thursday, “In view of the forecast of high-velocity winds, the Surat Municipal Corporation has begun checking the strength of hoardings, lowering levels of high-mast street lights and closing certain roads, as part of safety measures.”