Odisha asks collectors of 7 districts in path of Cyclone Gulab to begin evacuation

Cyclone Gulab may cross south Odisha-North Andhra Pradesh coasts around Kalingapatnam by the evening of September 26.

Published on: Sep 25, 2021, 21:17:20 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Ahead of the landfall of cyclonic storm Gulab on Sunday evening at northern Odisha coast, the Odisha government on Saturday asked collectors of seven districts in the path of the storm to carry out evacuation process in vulnerable areas while initiating deployment of 173 teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and fire services.

The IMD has issued an alert for Cyclone Gulab for north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts. (File photo)

Speaking to the district collectors, managing director of state disaster management authority, Pradeep Jena, said cyclone Gulab may cross south Odisha-North Andhra Pradesh coasts around Kalingapatnam by the evening of September 26 triggering heavy to very heavy rainfall in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, and Koraput districts.

“We are getting prepared for the possible devastation caused by strong wind, heavy rainfall and flash flood. Timely evacuation will be made from vulnerable areas. There may be landslides in Gajapati and Rayagada districts as faced during Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Titli,” said Jena. He said Gajapati and Koraput district administrations have cancelled public holidays of their officials on September 25 and 26 asking the employees to remain present at their headquarters to meet any emergency.

Jena said the collectors of the seven districts have been alerted to be prepared as there are chances of squally winds, waterlogging in low-lying areas, and flash floods in hilly areas. Heavy rainfall may also lead to flooding in Rushikulya, Vamsadhara, and Nagavalli rivers.

While the seven districts already have 107 existing Fire Services teams, 42 ODRAF and 24 NDRF teams will also be deployed.

Officials said Odisha will receive the first cyclonic rainfall from around 10 pm on Saturday with Puri, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Chattrapur getting lashed by rainfall in the range of 2-3 mm/hr.

From midnight, districts like Koraput, Rayagada and Gajapati will start getting rains. At around 10 pm on September 26, Koraput and Rayagada will record rainfall in the range of 3mm/hr. Heavy rainfall is predicted to continue in the districts till around 9 am on Monday.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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