Hudhud crosses M’giri towards Chhattisgarh
Three persons were killed in the State due to cyclone Hudhud by Sunday evening, informed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Mohapatra. A fisherman was swept away in sea current amid a tidal surge while he was trying to save his fishing boat anchored in Puri coast on Sunday, Mohapatra told mediapersons here.
Earlier, two minor girls had drowned when a mechanised boat engaged in evacuation work in the Satabhaya area in Kendrapada district capsized in a rivulet on Saturday.
Mohapatra also informed that a total of 1,56,169 people had been evacuated to safer places by Sunday evening. Evacuees and others are being provided cooked food at 1,690 cyclone centres spread over nine districts, he informed.
Maximum of 56,949 people had been shifted to 643 cyclone shelters in Gajapati district followed by 13,282 in Koraput and 7,900 in Ganjam district, Mohapatra told.
Mohapatra informed that the cyclone would cross the State on its way to Chhattisgarh through Malkangiri’s Mathili and Khairput by 10 pm on Sunday. The SRC said though the water levels in Rushikulya and Vamsadhara rivers were in increasing trend yet both rivers were flowing much below their danger levels.
He further said that the wind speed would scale down to 50 to 60kmph soon in Malkangiri and Koraput districts and rainfall is expected to subside by Monday noon. The evacuees would be sent back to their homes after the rains caused by Hudhud stops, Mohapatra said.