Cyclone Jawad weakened into deep depression, lies 330km of Odisha’s Puri: IMD
The India Meteorological Department forecasted earlier in the day that cyclone Jawad will gradually weaken into a deep depression in the next 12 hours before moving north-northwestwards to reach Odisha’s Puri on Sunday noon.
Cyclone Jawad has weakened into a deep depression, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Saturday. Taking to Twitter, the weather department said that the deep depression currently lies near Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam, and Odisha’s Gopalpur, Paradip and Puri.
“It (cyclone Jawad weakened into deep depression) is about 180km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 260km south of Gopalpur, 330km south-southwest of Puri, and 420km south-southwest of Paradip (all three in Odisha),” IMD tweeted at 6.51pm.
This latest development comes as per the IMD’s forecast earlier in the day in which it said that cyclone Jawad will gradually weaken into a deep depression in the next 12 hours before moving north-northwestwards to reach Puri on Sunday noon.
Watch| Cyclone Jawad likely to weaken into deep depression; heavy rains across Odisha, Andhra
Meanwhile, as part of their arrangements for the storm and rainfall alert, West Bengal and Odisha governments asked people to stay off the coast on Saturday, news agency ANI reported. People at Puri beach, which is also a popular tourist destination in Odisha, were asked to vacate along with their makeshift shops and belongings. On the other hand, administrations in Bengal’s Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts urged tourists at sea resorts to keep from the beaches as the storm approaches the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast.
Nearly 11,000 people were evacuated to safety zones in the aforementioned districts of West Bengal, while fishermen returned in the Digha, Shankarpur, Kakdwip and other coastal regions of the state with their boats, an official told ANI on Saturday.
In Odisha, Puri superintendent of police Kanwar Vishal Singh said that shelter homes have been set up in the city. “The safety of the people is our topmost priority…All are requested to follow government guidelines on cyclone Jawad,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
Puri district magistrate Samarth Verma informed that teams responsible for restoration of power and drinking water services post cyclone are in place, and those residing in shelter homes currently are given “hot meals.”
On Saturday, schools in 19 districts of Odisha remained closed after the government announced the same in view of cyclone Jawad on the preceding day.
In Andhra Pradesh, over 54,000 people have already been evacuated from three districts, ANI reported earlier in the day. As many as 15,755 people have been evacuated from Srikakulam district, while another 1,700 and 36,553 have been moved from Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, respectively.
Also Read | Cyclone Jawad to hit Andhra Pradesh: Govt evacuates over 54 thousands; 11 NDRF teams deployed
A total of 11 teams of the National Disaster Response Force, and five of the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the southern state for relief operations.
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