Super cyclone to make landfall near Puri between 8 am and 10 am today
In a massive evacuation exercise aimed at minimising possible damage from the “extremely severe” cyclonic storm Fani that is expected to make landfall at India’s southeastern coast on Friday, the Odisha Government shifted more than 8 lakh people away from low-lying areas close to the sea on Thursday. More than 100 trains have been cancelled in view of the approaching cyclonic storm.
People living in vulnerable areas along the coast were put in buses and smaller four-wheelers and then in trains and brought to cyclone shelters specially prepared for them. Cyclone Fani is expected to make the landfall near the temple town of Puri on the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Odisha between 8 am and 10 am on Friday (May 3), according to the latest forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD), and it will continue till 12 noon.
IMD says 19 districts of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh are likely to be hit by Fani. Even red warning has been issued to some districts of Uttar Pradesh. Parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh started receiving heavy rain as Fani in the Bay of Bengal neared the coast.
The IMD on Friday warned that Fani is moving northwards with a speed of 5 km per hour in last six hours and is likely to make landfall at Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali anytime after Friday afternoon, with wind speed of up to 200 km per hour. Currently, Fani lay centred over West Central Bay of Bengal about 430 km south-southwest of Puri in Odisha, 225 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 650 km south-southwest of Digha in West Bengal.
The IMD predicted that the cyclone will first hit Puri district after which it will move northwards towards Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapada, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore and Mayurbhanj. IMD bulletin said storm surge of about 1.5 metre above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha at the time of possible landfall. Several areas are likely to receive rainfall up to 20 cm under the impact of the cyclone.
According to IMD, maximum damage is expected in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Balasore, Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha and east and west Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogli, Kolkata districts of West Bengal and Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Vijayanagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh. The cyclone is likely to enter West Bengal as a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ of 90-100 kmph gusting to 115 kmph. It is likely to emerge into Bangladesh on the evening of 4 May as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the preparedness for Fani and instructed Government officials to maintain close coordination with officials of the affected States to ensure preventive measures.
Modi also asked the officers concerned to take effective steps for relief and rescue operations. He was briefed on the likely path of the cyclone, and the ongoing precautionary and preparatory measures being undertaken.
All the 880 cyclone centres have been readied for the purpose. Boats have been kept in a state of readiness.
The Railways on Thursday said around 102 trains have been cancelled in the last two days in view of the cyclonic storm, while three special trains pressed into service to ferry stranded passengers from affected areas. Four trains have been diverted, it said.
According to the Director General of Civil Aviation, no flights will take off from Thursday midnight for the next 24 hours from Bhubaneswar airport, while Kolkata airport will be out of bounds for flights between 9.30 pm of May 3 and 6 pm of May 4.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has issued alerts to all coastal airports, asking that all precautions and standard operating procedures be put into place immediately in view of Fani.
“Situation will be monitored at the highest level. Airlines and all others to be fully ready,” tweeted Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu. He also said that all authorities concerned are on high alert.
India’s biggest oil and gas producer ONGC has evacuated close to 500 of its employees from offshore installations in the Bay of Bengal and moved drilling rigs to safer locations ahead of an impending cyclone that is expected to make landfall on Friday.
Meanwhile, over 4,000 specialised personnel as part of 81 NDRF teams have been deployed to deal with the cyclone. NDRF chief SN Pradhan told PTI that about 50 teams have been pre-positioned in the coastal areas of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal which are feared to be affected while another 31 teams have been kept on standby.
Twenty-eight fully equipped teams have been deployed in and around Puri in Odisha as the cyclonic storm is expected to make a landfall there on Friday noon, the NDRF Director General (DG) said. Similarly, 12 teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh and six in West Bengal. The rest of the teams, that comprise about 50 personnel each, have been kept on standby in these States.
Pradhan said a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and a commandant-rank officer have also been tasked to monitor the activities of the rescue and relief teams from ground in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar and Puri. The teams have been equipped with additional boats, satellite phones, medical equipment, medicines, tree cutters, pickup and common mobility vehicles, and other gadgets, he said.
NDRF teams have also been kept on alert in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Fani lays centred over West Central Bay of Bengal, about 430 km south-southwest of Puri in Odisha, 225 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 650 km south-southwest of Digha in West Bengal, as per the latest bulletin of the IMD.
Concerns have been raised by a senior wildlife official on the safety of spotted deer in Balukhand sanctuary, in view of the likely landfall of Fani close to the place on Friday. The sanctuary is located along the Bay of Bengal coast, between the towns of Puri and Konark in Odisha. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) AK Mohapatra said the fate of about 3,000 spotted deer in the sanctuary has become uncertain as wild animals cannot be shifted to safe places like human beings.
NASA satellites Aqua and Terra are tracking Fani as it continued to move northwards along the eastern coast of India. Satellites are providing infrared, microwave and visible imagery.