Odisha braces up for Cyclone Phailin, cancels Durga Puja festivities; Naveen Patnaik says state fully prepared

The storm over east central Bay of Bengal moved westwards, slightly intensified further and lay centred about 590 km south-southeast of Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district and 600 km southeast of Gopalpur in Ganjam district, SC Sahu, director of Bhubaneswar meteorological centre said.

The Odisha government is bracing up for super cyclone Phailin with the armed forces being put on standy. Special Relief Commissioner PK Mahapatra has said the government will do its best to ensure there is zero human casualty.

“Our first concern is zero human casualties.. no one will be allowed to stay in any kachha house.. anyone who stays back will be forcefully evacuated,” Mahapatra said.

* Andhra puts 6 districts on high alert; round-the-clock control room at Secretariat

Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha has said that six districts in the state have been put on high alert.

Saying that the government is geared up to face the cyclone, Radha said, “We have been stocking essential commodities in advance.. once the cyclone crosses we expect 20 villages to be cut off.. so we are making necessary arrangements."

Andhra Pradesh has set up a round-the-clock control room in the Secretariat.

The control room numbers are: 040-23456005/23451043 and Fax- 040-23451819.

* Cyclone Phailin heading towards Odisha gains strength

The severe cyclonic storm 'Phailin' over the Bay of Bengal has gained strength, and intensified further, officials said on Friday as it moved towards Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast.

The storm over east central Bay of Bengal moved westwards, slightly intensified further and lay centred about 590 km south-southeast of Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district and 600 km southeast of Gopalpur in Ganjam district, SC Sahu, director of Bhubaneswar meteorological centre said.

It would move northwestwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast between Kalingapatnam and Paradip, close to Gopalpur (Odisha) by Saturday evening as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 205-215 kmph, he said.

The state government said it was making adequate preparation to deal with the disaster that expects to cause large scale devastations mostly in state's coastal southern districts.

"We had a number of reviews about the impending cyclone. The government is fully prepared," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said. Read full story

* Odisha cancels Durga puja festivities as Cyclone Phailin intensifies

Durga puja festivities in Odisha have been cancelled as the state prepares for Cyclone Phailin which could be the worst since 1999 when 10,000 people died.

The Air Force, Navy and national disaster management team have already been put on stand-by, while the rapid action force has deployed its forces on the ground.

People in the low lying areas of the state will be evacuated by Saturday evening.

The cyclone is moving nothwest at a speed of 175-188 km/h and is likely to hit Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur in Odisha. The Met Department has issued a warning that the speed could touch 215 km/hour by Saturday evening.

* Met department suspends fishing as cyclone Phailin inches closer

The Met office in Hyderabad has recommended the total suspension of fishing operations, and has asked for judicious regulation of rail and road traffic from Friday, when the cyclone would be at a distance of 500 km from the coast.

* Andhra CM asks authorities to shift people from low-lying areas if necessary

In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has directed senior officials to take precautionary measures in coastal areas. According to an official release, people in low-lying areas have been instructed to be shifted to safer places if necessary,.

* Odisha seeks support from defence forces as cyclone Phailin intensifies

Odisha government has urged the Centre to issue standing instructions to the defence forces to extend help as cyclone Phailin may hit the state on Saturday.

“Our past experience indicates that despite preparedness by the state government, a severe cyclonic storm requires support of the defence forces to mitigate the effect of extreme weather,” Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote in a letter to Defence Minister AK Antony.

Twenty three districts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are likely to be hit by cyclone Phailin within the next 24 hours as authorities brace themselves for what the met department defines as ’most severe’ cyclonic storm.

Phailin is expected to cross the coast between Kalingapatnam and Paradip by Saturday evening.

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A powerful cyclone intensified on Friday and was heading towards India's east coast, authorities said, forecasting a risk to life and extensive damage to property when it makes landfall in 36 hours.

Satellite images showed the storm in the Bay of Bengal to be about half the size of India. Cyclone Phailin is expected to hit between Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state and Paradip in Odisha state on Saturday evening as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 205-215 km per hour (127-134 miles per hour), the India Meteorological Department said in a bulletin at 2330 GMT. London-based storm tracking service Tropical Storm Risk described Phailin as a Category 4 storm, one notch below the most powerful Category 5 storms.

Authorities in the affected states had been stocking shelters with rations, as well as putting disaster response teams on standby and cancelling government employees' holidays as Phailin - some 800 km from the Indian coastline - moved closer. "The cyclone is expected to impact life and properties.

The districts likely to be affected by the impending cyclone have been asked to ensure all preparedness including evacuation of people in vulnerable areas to the cyclone shelters for their safety," Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in a letter to the defence minister on Thursday, asking for the armed forces to prepare to help with disaster relief. India's largest gas field -- the Reliance Industries -operated D6 natural gas block -- lies in the Cauvery Basin off the east coast.

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