Odisha: Coastal districts put on high alert as cyclonic storm FANI likely to make land fall near Puri coast

Met sources said the severe cyclonic storm "FANI" (pronounced as "FONI") over Southeast & adjoining Southwest Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of about 16 kmph in last six hours, intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and lay centred about 690 km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 760 km southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh).

It is very likely to intensify further into an extremely severe cyclonic storm during next 36 hours and very likely to move northwestwards till May 1 evening and thereafter recurve north-northeastwards towards Odisha Coast.

Met sources said the surface wind speed will be 120-130 gusting to 145 kmph during the very severe cyclonic storm which will further rise to 160 -170kmph and might further increased to 170 to 180 kmph gusting to 200 kmph in case of extremely severe cyclonic storm.

There will be light to moderate rainfall at a few places very likely over south coastal Odisha on May 2 and it is likely to increase with rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over coastal Odisha.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and state Chief Secretary A P Padhi had already chaired high level review meeting yesterday about the preparedness to face the cyclonic storm Fani.

The district collectors of four coastal districts -Puri, Ganjam, Kendrapara and Khordha have already cancelled the leave and government employees and asked them not to leave the district headquarter.

The state government had already directed the collectors of the coastal districts to open 24x7 control room and take all necessary measures for evacuation of the people from the coast to the safer places and the cyclone shelter centres.

Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethy said the state government had sought an advance assistance from the SDRF for the four districts likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm Fani.

The Centre , however, had released an advance of Rs.340.87 crore to Odisha to tackle the situation arising out of the Fani hitting the coast.

Sethy said the state government had at its disposal 20 units of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and 12 units National Disaster Response Force(NDRF) besides 235 units of the Fire Brigade to handle the situation in case of any eventuality.

The SRC said the exact land fall of the cyclonic storm Fani will be known by this evening but there is every possibility that the cyclonic storm Fani might have land fall between Puri and Chandrabhaga or Satpada near Chilka.