Towns evacuate, tourists flee as Cyclone Fani churns towards Odisha

In total, about 800,000 people are expected to be evacuated from low-lying areas of Odisha to cyclone shelters, schools and other buildings, authorities said.

Business Standard : India has evacuated more than 200,000 people along its northeast coastline by boat, bus and train ahead of a severe cyclone due to make landfall on Friday, with many villagers piling household possessions on to trucks before fleeing their homes.

Severe cyclonic storm Fani was lying in the Bay of Bengal about 420 km (260 miles) south-southwest of the Hindu temple town of Puri where special trains were put on to evacuate tourists and the beaches were empty.

In total, about 800,000 people are expected to be evacuated from low-lying areas of Odisha to cyclone shelters, schools and other buildings, authorities said.

“We are maximising efforts at all levels for evacuation,” Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told Reuters.

Fani was generating maximum sustained winds of 170-180 km (105-111 miles) per hour, the state-run India Meteorological Department said. Cyclone tracker Tropical Storm Risk rated Fani a mid-range category 3 storm.

Authorities have also shut down operations at two major ports - Paradip and Visakhapatnam - and ships have been ordered to move out to avoid damage.

In Paradip, television footage showed residents piling bicycles, sewing machines and gas cylinders on to small trucks and leaving for any of nearly 900 shelters supplied with food, water and medicines.

Odisha state government has deployed hundreds of disaster management personnel, closed schools and colleges and asked doctors and other health officials not to go on leave until May 15.

India’s cyclone season can last from April to December, when severe storms batter coastal cities and cause widespread deaths and damage to crops and property in both India and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Technological advancements have helped meteorologists to predict weather patterns well in advance, giving authorities more time to prepare.

In 1999, a super-cyclone battered the coast of Odisha for 30 hours, killing 10,000 people. A mass evacuation of nearly a million people saved thousands of lives in 2013.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has sent 50 teams across four coastal states, including Odisha. The NDRF has also put 32 teams equipped with boats, tree cutters, medical supplies, telecoms gear and other equipment on standby.

Cyclone 'Fani' likely to intensify in next 12 hours, hit Odisha on Friday

Heavy rainfall is very likely over north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday and light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places a day later.

Cyclone 'Fani' is likely to intensify into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' by late night and can hit the Odisha coast by Friday afternoon, the India Meteorological Department said Tuesday.

In its 12 pm bulletin, the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said Fani (pronounced as Foni) lays over southeast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, about 830 km nearly south of Puri (Odisha) and 670 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and about 680 km northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka).

"It is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards and reach Odisha coast by May 3 afternoon with maximum sustained wind of speed 170-180 kilometers per hour gusting to 200 kmph," the IMD said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Coast Guard were put on high alert and the fishermen were asked not to venture into the sea, the Union Home Ministry said Monday.

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The wind speed of a cyclonic storm is 80-90 kilometres per hour with wind gusting up to 100 kmph. In case of an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm', the wind speed goes up to 170-180 kmph and could gain the speed of 195-200 kmph.

ALSO READ: 'Extremely severe cyclone' Fani headed towards Odisha: All you need to know

Light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy falls at isolated places is very likely over Kerala, at a few places over north coastal Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh during the next 24 hours.

Heavy rainfall is very likely over north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday and light to moderate rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places a day later.

Odisha is expected to get light to moderate rainfall at many places from Thursday. South coastal Odisha is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on the same day.

Rainfall is likely to increase at most places with heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with "extremely heavy falls" at isolated places over coastal Odisha and its adjoining districts of interior Odisha on Thursday.

Cyclone 'Fani' may turn into severe storm, NDRF, Coast Guard on high alert

The cyclone is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday, a home ministry statement said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and fishermen asked not to venture into the sea as cyclone 'Fani' is expected to intensify into a very severe storm by Tuesday, the Home Ministry said Monday.

The cyclonic storm 'Fani' Monday morning was located at 880 km of South-East of Chennai and it will continue to move North-West and change its path to North-East from Wednesday.

The cyclone is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday, a home ministry statement said.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), its landfall over Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh is ruled out. However, the possibility of landfall in Odisha is under continuous watch.

The NDRF and the Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and placed at the disposal of the state governments concerned. Regular warnings have been issued since April 25 to fishermen not to venture into the sea and asking those at sea to return to coast, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the situation and has directed Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha to convene a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) to take stock of the situation with the state governments and the central ministries and agencies concerned to ensure necessary preparations to deal with the situation.

The IMD has been issuing three hourly bulletins with latest forecast to all the states concerned and the home ministry is also in continuous touch with the state governments and the central agencies concerned, the statement said.

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Death toll in cyclone-hit Odisha rises to 52, losses worth Rs 22 bn: Govt

Earlier this week, the state government had confirmed 26 deaths due to the calamity.

Business Standard : The death toll in Cyclone Titli and subsequent floods has mounted to 52, while the loss suffered due to the calamity has been pegged at around Rs 2,200 crore, the Odisha government said Wednesday

Earlier this week, the state government had confirmed 26 deaths due to the calamity.

A clearer picture would emerge once the administration gathers information about the ten persons who went missing in a landslide in Gajapati district, Chief Secretary A P Padhi said here after a review meeting with officials.

"The state government has information about 52 deaths in different affected areas, as of now. The casualties mainly resulted from incidents of landslide, wall collapse, drowning and tree felling," he told reporters.

While 39 deaths were reported from "worst-affected Gajapati district", 12 casualties were reported from Ganjam and one from Kandhamal, Padhi said.

"As per preliminary assessment, the loss suffered in different sectors, including infrastructure and agriculture, was estimated at around Rs 2,200 crore. It will take a day or two to get a full report on the total loss incurred due to the disaster," he stated.

Noting that relief work was in progress across the state, the chief secretary said, "95 per cent of the damaged roads have been repaired".

"Almost all thoroughfares have been repaired and power and drinking water supply restored in the urban areas. In rural areas, work is still in progress to bring back normalcy," Padhi added.

A senior government official said the restoration and relief operations were being carried out using State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF).

The state will approach the Centre for necessary assistance after "exact assessment" of the damages, he clarified.

As many as 16 of the 30 districts of the state were ravaged by heavy rain and flood following the landfall of Cyclone Titli last Thursday on Gopalpur in the southerwestern part of the state.

Odisha's Gopalpur port rescues 50 fishing vessels stranded by Titli cyclone

Despite advisory, many trawlers were still undertaking fishing activities until the advent of the cyclonic storm.

In a humanitarian gesture, the Gopalpur port provided shelter to the 50 fishing vessels stranded after severe cyclonic storm Titli struck south Odisha’s coast.

The port officials also undertook the rescue of the crew members of some of the boats in close cooperation of the district administration, Odisha Disaster Response Force (ODRF) and Indian Coast Guard.

Gopalpur office became the node for the district administration and port authorities for rescue operations.

The safe shelter provided by the port put the safety of the port at risk with potential damage due to sunken vessels and under construction infrastructure.

Nevertheless, the port authorities, under the guidance of the district administration, ODRF and Indian Coast Guard, prioritized the life of fishermen. Crew members of more than half a dozen vessels were rescued and provided shelter. The rescue efforts were jointly carried out.

The Indian Meteorological Department, Indian Coast Guard and various state government agencies had issued repeated advisories and specific caution notices for the fishermen not to venture out to sea and fishermen at sea to return to their respective bases.

Despite this, many trawlers were still undertaking fishing activities until the advent of the cyclonic storm.

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