02/05/2019
BHUBANESHWAR, India/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – 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 the eastern state of Odisha to cyclone shelters, schools and other buildings, authorities said.
“We are maximizing 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 Visakhapatnamon – 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 neighboring 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.
“I think we are fully prepared,” Satya Narayan Pradhan, NDRF director general, told state TV.
Source: Reuters
Posted in Bay of Bengal, Bishnupada Sethi, cyclone churns, Fani, Hindu temple town, India alert, India Meteorological Department, Indian northeast coast, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), NDRF director general, Odisha, Paradip, Puri, Satya Narayan Pradhan, Special Relief Commissioner, special trains, tourists flee, Towns evacuate, Tropical Storm Risk, Uncategorized, Visakhapatnamon |
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29/04/2019
The NDRF and the Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and placed at the disposal of the state governments concerned.
INDIA Updated: Apr 29, 2019 14:37 IST
Representational Image(REUTERS File)
The NDRF and the Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and fishermen asked not to venture into the sea, the Home Ministry said Monday.
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.
On Monday morning, it 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 National Disaster Response Force (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.
Source: Hindustan Times
Posted in Andhra Pradesh, Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, fishermen, high alert, India alert, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Coast Guard, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), NDRF, North-East, North-West, Odisha, South-East of Chennai, state governments, Tamil Nadu, Uncategorized |
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