1m shifted as India’s worst cyclone in 20 yrs hits today
East Coast Shut
Bhubaneswar, Kol Airports To Close
223 Trains Cancelled
Minati Singha & Sujit Bisoyi TNN
Bhubaneswar:3.5.2019
More than a million people are being moved to safety as a tense Odisha battens down the hatches to take on the might of the “extremely severe” Cyclone Fani, which is set to make landfall near Puri between 8am and 10am on Friday.
An estimated 10,000 villages and 52 towns in Odisha will come in the path of the cyclone, which could bring winds gusting up to 225kmph, the Union home ministry said after PM Narendra Modi held a top-level meeting on Thursday to assess preparations for the cyclone.
This could be the first time since the 1999 Super Cyclone that the state would bear the brunt of such a severe storm. The 1999 cyclone killed nearly 10,000 people, battering the state with winds of 270kmph to 300kmph. Cyclone Fani is expected to remain “extremely severe” for four to six hours after landfall, IMD officials said in New Delhi. It will then gradually weaken.
The meteorological department warned of “total destruction” of thatched huts and kutcha houses, major damage to roads and crops, the uprooting of power poles and potential danger from flying objects as the storm moves north-northeastwards after landfall and sweeps through Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts before moving to neighbouring West Bengal.
Around 8 lakh people were evacuated from low-lying areas by 7pm on Thursday and more are being shifted to the safety of storm shelters in coastal areas.
Rail, road and air traffic have been completely suspended in coastal districts.
EC lifts model code of conduct for relief work
Flight operations at the Biju Patnaik International Airport have been suspended for 24 hours from Thursday midnight while more than 200 trains have been cancelled. Operations at Paradip, Gopalpur and Dhamra ports have been closed since Thursday.
The Election Commission of India has, meanwhile, lifted the model code of conduct from 11 districts to facilitate rescue and relief measures. It has also approved shifting of polled EVMs of four assembly constituencies in Gajapati and Jagatsinghpur districts to safer places.
Apart from the massive evacuation operations for cyclone Fani, the state government has appealed to the public to remain indoors on Friday morning and not to come out till the storm passes over.
All educational institutions, commercial establishments, shops and offices will remain closed on Friday morning while movement of vehicles has been restricted. “The state government is fully prepared to tackle the cyclone. Each life is precious for us,” chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, appealing to the people not to panic.
According to the India Meteorology Department (IMD) forecast at 5.30pm on Thursday, the cyclone lay centred at about 275km south-southwest of Puri.
District officials have identified 117 and 107 probable flood inundation villages under Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers respectively, if they receive more than 1lakh cusecs of flood water. People from these villages would be evacuated.
The entire state administration is on its toes to minimize the damage and loss of lives in the impending calamity. Patnaik held a series of meetings with district collectors and senior officials and was briefed on the state’s preparedness.
FANI EFFECT: A woman about to board the special train, Shalimar Express, at Bhubaneswar railway station on
East Coast Shut
Bhubaneswar, Kol Airports To Close
223 Trains Cancelled
Minati Singha & Sujit Bisoyi TNN
Bhubaneswar:3.5.2019
More than a million people are being moved to safety as a tense Odisha battens down the hatches to take on the might of the “extremely severe” Cyclone Fani, which is set to make landfall near Puri between 8am and 10am on Friday.
An estimated 10,000 villages and 52 towns in Odisha will come in the path of the cyclone, which could bring winds gusting up to 225kmph, the Union home ministry said after PM Narendra Modi held a top-level meeting on Thursday to assess preparations for the cyclone.
This could be the first time since the 1999 Super Cyclone that the state would bear the brunt of such a severe storm. The 1999 cyclone killed nearly 10,000 people, battering the state with winds of 270kmph to 300kmph. Cyclone Fani is expected to remain “extremely severe” for four to six hours after landfall, IMD officials said in New Delhi. It will then gradually weaken.
The meteorological department warned of “total destruction” of thatched huts and kutcha houses, major damage to roads and crops, the uprooting of power poles and potential danger from flying objects as the storm moves north-northeastwards after landfall and sweeps through Khurda, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts before moving to neighbouring West Bengal.
Around 8 lakh people were evacuated from low-lying areas by 7pm on Thursday and more are being shifted to the safety of storm shelters in coastal areas.
Rail, road and air traffic have been completely suspended in coastal districts.
EC lifts model code of conduct for relief work
Flight operations at the Biju Patnaik International Airport have been suspended for 24 hours from Thursday midnight while more than 200 trains have been cancelled. Operations at Paradip, Gopalpur and Dhamra ports have been closed since Thursday.
The Election Commission of India has, meanwhile, lifted the model code of conduct from 11 districts to facilitate rescue and relief measures. It has also approved shifting of polled EVMs of four assembly constituencies in Gajapati and Jagatsinghpur districts to safer places.
Apart from the massive evacuation operations for cyclone Fani, the state government has appealed to the public to remain indoors on Friday morning and not to come out till the storm passes over.
All educational institutions, commercial establishments, shops and offices will remain closed on Friday morning while movement of vehicles has been restricted. “The state government is fully prepared to tackle the cyclone. Each life is precious for us,” chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, appealing to the people not to panic.
According to the India Meteorology Department (IMD) forecast at 5.30pm on Thursday, the cyclone lay centred at about 275km south-southwest of Puri.
District officials have identified 117 and 107 probable flood inundation villages under Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers respectively, if they receive more than 1lakh cusecs of flood water. People from these villages would be evacuated.
The entire state administration is on its toes to minimize the damage and loss of lives in the impending calamity. Patnaik held a series of meetings with district collectors and senior officials and was briefed on the state’s preparedness.
FANI EFFECT: A woman about to board the special train, Shalimar Express, at Bhubaneswar railway station on
No comments:
Post a Comment