Cyclone Fani will reportedly hit the coastal areas of Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu on Friday, the Met department said.
Odisha’s weather department has put the state on ‘yellow’ alert as Cyclone Fani is moving closer to its coast. All the educational institutions in the state will remain closed on Thursday on the state government’s order.
The cyclone might cross Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbal around Friday afternoon, said India Meteorological Department (IMD). A storm surge of about 175-185 km/h will likely soar up to 205 km/h. IMD has issued warning to several districts of Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh (AP), and Tamil Nadu.
“Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha are likely to get affected,” said the weather department. Apart from these, the state will also likely have a strong impact in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur, and Balasore. On Tuesday, the Navy reportedly said the cyclone storm turned into an ‘extremely severe cyclonic’ storm.
In Bengal, East and West Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogly, and Kolkata may also get impacted. Besides, Srikakulam and Vijayanagram districts of AP might also see the affect, the IMD said.
Meanwhile, the Centre has ordered advance release of financial assistance worth Rs. 1,086 crore to the four states. This is to assist them in undertaking preventive and relief measures in response to the cyclone. Besides, Indian Coast Guard and Navy ships and helicopters are deployed for the rescue operations, an official statement said.
The Election Commission has lifted the model code of conduct in the coastal districts of Odisha. Also, the tourists and fishermen are advised to not venture out far in the coastal areas. As many as 879 multipurpose cyclone shelters are kept ready that can accommodate about one million people during cyclones.
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