Cyclone Asani: Odisha ready to evacuate 7.5 lakh if needed, says top official

Arrangements have been made to evacuate 7.5 lakh people in 18 districts of Odisha if any emergency situation arises out of the impending cyclonic storm, the state’s special relief commissioner said.

Published on: May 8, 2022, 12:01:18 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: The first cyclonic storm of 2022 over Bay of Bengal was formed on early Sunday morning as it lied 1020 km away from Puri coast while moving with a speed of 16 kmph, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.

Cyclone Asani is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by 5.30pm on Sunday.

Named Asani (wrath in Sinhala, one of the official languages of Sri Lanka), the cyclone is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by 5.30pm on Sunday.

IMD officials said the cyclone is unlikely to make landfall as it would recurve in the sea north-northeastwards on May 10. The cyclone will not make landfall as the system is more likely to move parallel to Odisha- Andhra coast, said IMD officials.

“Light to moderate rainfall will start in coastal districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur and Puri after May 10 evening. In the coastal areas, the wind speed will be 40-50 kmph and gusting up to 60 kmph. The maximum wind speed will be 50-60 kmph and the windy condition will continue till May 11 and thereafter, it will start reducing,” IMD director general (DG) Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

However, Odisha special relief commissioner Pradeep Jena said that arrangements have been made to evacuate 7.5 lakh people in 18 districts if any such emergency situation arises out of the impending cyclonic storm. “There are 862 permanent cyclone centres in 18 districts. These centres can accommodate 1.5 to 1.6 lakh people with adherence to Covid-19 rules. Likewise, 6,661 buildings have been identified as temporary centres which can house about 6 lakh people. Thus, we have the arrangements to evacuate 7.5 lakh people. Though the prediction by IMD so far has given some kind of relief, we have not lowered our preparedness,” said Jena.

“As the sea condition will be rough, we have directed fishermen not to venture into sea along Odisha coast after May 8. Those who are in the sea have been asked to come to the shore by May 8. “The fisheries and animal resources department is collecting the list of fishermen. While some fishermen have started returning, we are hopeful to bring them back by tomorrow afternoon. We have also requested the navy and coast guards to help us in the process,” Jena added.

As a precautionary measure against the possible cyclonic storm, 175 specialised teams of Odisha Fire Services have been formed to deploy in the likely affected districts, said Fire Service director general (DG) Santosh Upadhyay. Each special team has power saws, Combi Tools, Tower Lights and other rescue equipment with them.

IMD officials said several districts of coastal Odisha would experience light to moderate rainfall under the influence of the cyclonic storm. “We have issued a heavy rainfall alert for three districts-, Ganjam, Puri and Gajapati districts (7-11cm) on May 10,” said IMD scientist Umashankar Das.

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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