Bhubaneswar, Oct 27 Odisha closed schools in 16 of its 30 districts and raced against time to move people in vulnerable areas to safety amid heavy rains and strong winds preceding the “very severe” cyclonic storm Arnab’s expected landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast early Wednesday.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh P Patil said the state government has planned to move at least 48,000 people from low-lying areas and landslide-prone locations by evening.
The evacuation drive was intensified after the weather department advanced its forecast for the cyclone’s landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, around 350 km from Odisha’s Gopalpur, to between 2 am and 4 am on Wednesday from the earlier forenoon prediction.
“Gajapati and Nabarangpur districts would see the highest evacuations at 11,000 people each. People are also being shifted to safety in Malkangiri, Ganjam, Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Nuapada in line with the government’s zero casualty target,” Patil said, adding that district collectors have been directed to take all necessary measures to protect life and property.
Priority is being given to shifting pregnant women, the elderly, children and persons with disabilities, he said. Also, schools in 16 of the state’s 30 districts have been ordered to remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alerts, warning of rain above 20 cm and wind speeds above 60 kmph for Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabrangpur districts for Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Patil said 135 permanent cyclone shelters and around 1,600 temporary shelters had been prepared to accommodate people from vulnerable areas. “Restrictions have also been imposed on movement in landslide-prone zones in view of the forecast of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and squally winds,” he said.
The state government has deployed 313 rescue teams — 244 from the fire service, 60 from Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and nine from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) — in 20 districts.
Patil said Ganjam district has the highest deployment, with two NDRF teams and nine SDRF teams stationed there.
The state has allocated Rs 19 crore for relief operations, with Rs 5 crore going to Ganjam, and Rs 2 crore each for Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts, an official said.
The IMD, in its latest bulletin, said the cyclone moved with a speed of 17 kmph during the past six hours and lay centred about 70 km south-southeast of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, 180 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam and 210 km east-northeast of Bapatla as of 8.30 pm.
“It is very likely to continue to move nearly west-northwestwards during the next few hours, then northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to south of Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph during early hours of October 28,” it said.
The weather office said wind blowing at a sustained speed of 40 to 50 kmph and gusting up to 60 kmph was being experienced on Tuesday night in the southern districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the state was prepared to deal with the situation, with personnel and equipment deployed at vulnerable locations.
“Heavy rain in the upper catchment areas of rivers in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand could trigger flash floods and waterlogging in western and northern Odisha, while southern districts were likely to receive heavy rainfall,” he said.
The IMD advised fishermen not to venture into the sea until the cyclone passes.
Meanwhile, major ports, including Paradip, Dhamra and Gopalpur, have stepped up preparedness in view of the approaching storm.
(PTI News)
