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Heavy rain in Odisha: Gajapati District Collector Madhumita said that rehabilitation of pregnant women and people has started. He told that people are being taken to safe places.
Heavy rain in Odisha: Odisha government has put all 30 districts on alert in view of heavy rains in the state on October 28-29. The government has appealed to the people not to come out of their homes. The Meteorological Department has warned that the pressure area in the Bay of Bengal is gradually moving towards the east coast. Officials said that Odisha will receive very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on October 28 and 29. IMD has issued red alert for five districts of Odisha namely Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Ganjam and orange and yellow alert for several other districts. The Meteorological Department has also issued Distant Warning Signal Number-I (DC-1) at all ports of Odisha and advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till October 29. An alert has been issued along the Odisha coast from Ganjam to Balasore. Officials have urged fishermen and people to remain cautious and not to venture into the sea as conditions could worsen.
Administration ready for rescue and relief operations
Officials are using loudspeakers and megaphones to alert the fishermen who had gone to sea and urge them to return to the shore immediately. Officials said the administration is closely monitoring the situation to ensure safe return of all fishing boats. Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that all 30 districts of the state have been put on alert. Administration and machinery are ready for rescue and relief operations. The minister said that district collectors have been instructed to evacuate people from areas experiencing heavy rainfall. Collectors of seven districts of southern and coastal areas have canceled the leaves of government employees in view of the seriousness of the situation. Gajapati District Collector Madhumita said that rehabilitation of pregnant women and vulnerable people has started. He said that people living in unsafe areas and kutcha houses are being shifted to safe places.
Entry of tourists closed on beaches
He said that all Anganwadi centers and schools will remain closed till October 30 and two ODRAF teams have been deployed in the district. The Puri administration has banned the entry of tourists on the beaches on October 27, 28 and 29 in view of the impending cyclone. The IMD said at 8.30 am on Sunday the low pressure was located about 620 km west of Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 780 km west of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, 830 km west of Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh and 930 km west of Gopalpur in Odisha. The midday bulletin issued at 1 pm said that it is likely to move approximately west-northwest. The southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal may further intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours. The cyclone will further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28 and is expected to cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada with maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 during the evening/night of October 28. Winds can blow at a speed of 110 km per hour.
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