Police personnel and locals at a site after a tree fell due to strong winds induced by Cyclone Gulab, in Srikakulam district.
Odisha received light to moderate rains on Sunday as Cyclone Gulab hit a place in Andhra Pradesh, about 95 km from Gopalpur in the state, from where a large number of people were evacuated, officials said.
The wind speed of the cyclone is very low in Odisha as compared to the neighboring state during the landfall.
Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said that after 12 noon on Sunday, the cyclonic storm suddenly gained momentum and moved towards the landmass at a speed of 17 kmph gusting to 25 kmph over the Bay of Bengal for three hours. Arrived first. expected time.
“Though three hours have passed since the landfall process started at 6 pm, there is no very strong wind and no heavy rain from any part of Odisha. Intermittent light to moderate rains have been reported from some districts,” said Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena.
Landslides occurred in Miduguda and Tokali villages near Kalingapatnam town in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.
The wind speed of the cyclone was around 90 kmph in Kalingapatnam during landfall, while it was 30 kmph at Gopalpur in Odisha, he said. The system will enter Odisha’s Koraput district on Monday before moving towards Chhattisgarh.
Bhubaneswar Meteorological Center Director HR Biswas said, “The cyclone has made landfall. It will enter Odisha’s Koraput district at midnight and weaken into a deep depression in the next six hours.”
Biswas said extremely heavy rainfall is likely over Koraput, Rayagada and Gajapati districts with wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph.
Jena said that more than 39,000 people, including 600 pregnant women, disabled and elderly people, have been evacuated before the cyclone made landfall, Jena said that there has been no such significant or notable damage in the state.
He said that several precautionary measures have been taken to avoid any untoward incident.
“Our officers are on high alert and are visiting places to monitor the preparedness,” the SRC said.
Jena said seven southern districts – Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur – have been put on high alert as these areas are vulnerable to landslides.
An official of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department said the cyclone, the second to hit the state in four months after ‘Yes’ wreaked havoc in May, apparently had less impact, as the administration expected noticeable damage.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is on a visit to New Delhi, reviewed the preparedness via a video conference and set a “zero casualty” target and told officials that every life is precious and should be preserved at any cost. .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called up Patnaik and assured him of all support from the Center to face the challenges posed by Cyclone Gulab.
The Indian Navy also closely monitored the movement of the cyclone and kept naval ships and aircraft on standby for rescue and relief operations.
According to an official statement, the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam and the Naval Officers-in-Charge of Odisha have carried out preparatory activities to deal with the effects of the cyclone.
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Around 102 teams of firefighters along with 42 teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and 24 squads of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed in seven districts.
In addition, 11 fire units, six teams of ODRAF and eight teams of NDRF are ready for emergency purposes.
The state has also taken special measures after the IMD warned that the tide would rise by half a meter during the cyclone’s landfall.
In the next three days, the sea condition will worsen to very poor and fishermen in Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have been asked not to venture into east-central and adjoining northeast Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea .
The SRC also said that the district administration has been asked to maintain the COVID-19 guidelines during the evacuation and provide face masks to the people being shifted to the shelter camps.
read also | Odisha sets ‘zero casualty’ target close to cyclone ‘Gulaab’, evacuation operation underway
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