The Odisha government on Tuesday sounded high alert to all coastal districts and decided to dispatch the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams in advance as severe cyclonic storm Fani, intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, is heading for a land fall on the coast between Puri and Kendrapara.
Met sources said the severe cyclonic storm Fani (pronounced as ‘Foni’) over Southeast and adjoining Southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 16 kmph in last six hours, intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and lay centred about 690 km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 760 km southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
It is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during next 36 hours and very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards Odisha Coast.
Met sources said the surface wind speed will be 120-130 gusting to 145 kmph during the very severe cyclonic storm which will further rise to 160 -170kmph and might further increased to 170 to 180 kmph gusting to 200 kmph in case of extremely severe cyclonic storm.
There will be light to moderate rainfall at a few places very likely over south coastal Odisha on May 2 and it is likely to increase with rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over coastal Odisha.
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and state chief secretary A.P. Padhi had already chaired high level review meeting on Monday about the preparedness to face the cyclonic storm.
The district collectors of four coastal districts Puri, Ganjam, Kendrapara and Khurda have already cancelled the leave and government employees and asked them not to leave the district headquarter.
The state government had already directed the collectors of the coastal districts to open 24×7 control room and take all necessary measures for evacuation of the people from the coast to the safer places and the cyclone shelter centres.
Special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said the state government had sought an advance assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the four districts likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm Fani.
The Centre, however, had released an advance of Rs.340.87 crore to Odisha to tackle the situation arising out of the Fani hitting the coast.
Sethi said the state government had at its disposal 20 units of the ODRAF and 12 units NDRF besides 235 units of the fire brigades to handle the situation in case of any eventuality.
The SRC said the exact land fall of the cyclonic storm Fani will be known by this evening but there is every possibility that it might have land fall between Puri and Chandrabhaga or Satpada near Chilka. (UNI)
Coastal districts in Odisha on high alert as cyclonic storm FANI likely to make land fall near Puri coast
