Severe cyclone 'Phailin' is set to hit Odisha and Andhra coast with full fury touching wind speed of 240 km per hour this evening. It is now lay centred over Bay of Bengal, about 300 km south-southeast of Paradip and 240 km southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha. The cyclone's exact landfall is likely to be around the popular beach destination of Gopalpur and coastal Odisha. The condition of sea along and off Odisha coast will be rough to very rough and will become gradually phenomenal from today.
The Meteorological office at Bhubaneswar has warned extensive damage to houses, large scale disruption of power and communication lines, disruption of rail and road traffic due to extensive flooding, potential threat from flying debris, flooding of escape routes and extensive damage to agricultural crops.
The Odisha government began state's biggest ever evacuation of shifting more than three lakh people as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik promised there would be zero casualties. The Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force have already been put on alert for relief and rescue operations in the coastal districts.
Indian Railways have cancelled seven long-route express trains including Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express and also short terminated and diverted a number of trains in view of the sever cyclone Phailin. As many as 17 flights from Biju Patnaik airport at Bhubaneswar have also been cancelled.
More than one lakh people from the north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh are being evacuated from the vulnerable areas on the path of the cyclone.
State Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha said, the state administration is taking all precautions to prevent human loss and reduce damages. He said, the state is fully prepared to meet any exigency. A number of ministers and senior officers are camping at north coastal districts to monitor the relief measures. Four columns of Army personnel with engineering and medical expertise are reaching Visakhapatnam to carry out relief activities.
More teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been sought while 15 teams with relief material have been kept ready. Navy and Air Force choppers have been kept standby. The state authorities have asked people of four districts including Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and East Godavari districts to remain in doors during and after landfall of the cyclone.
