Cyclone Jawad: Odisha schools shut as the Indian Navy ramps up rescue operations

The Indian Navy said it has increased rescue and relief activities in preparation for Cyclone Jawad, which is expected to impact south Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh on Saturday (December 4, 2021).

The Indian Navy is closely following the passage of the Cyclonic Storm, 'Jawad,' which is expected to build into a Cyclonic Storm over the southeast Bay of Bengal on Saturday and is expected to cross the beaches of north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha.

"Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, and Naval Officers-in-Charge at Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Area have carried out preparatory activities to combat the effects of Cyclone `Jawad` and is in constant liaison with the State Administrations for rendering assistance as required," the Navy said in a release.

The Indian Navy further stated that 13 flood relief teams (FRT) and four diving teams are on standby to help in the rescue and relief operations as part of the relief and rescue operations.

"Four ships are on standby with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) bricks, diving, and medical teams to render assistance in the most affected areas along with the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast," the release read.

The state of Andhra Pradesh has ordered the evacuation of 54,008 people from three districts. 15,755 persons were evacuated from Srikakulam district, 1,700 from Vizianagaram, and 36,553 from Visakhapatnam by the rescue squad. The administration has also established 197 aid camps in schools and community halls.

Earlier, on Friday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, Cyclone Jawad "is likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach west-central Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh - south Odisha coasts by tomorrow, December 4 morning."

"Thereafter it is likely to recurve north-northeastwards and move along the Odisha coast reaching near Puri around December 5 noon. Subsequently, it is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards along coastal Odisha towards the West Bengal coast," said the IMD.

The Odisha administration, on the other hand, has ordered that schools be closed in 19 districts throughout the state. In light of cyclone 'Jawad,' all government, aided, and private institutions associated with the Department of School and Mass Education in 19 districts of Odisha would be closed on December 4th.

Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Koraput, Rayagada, Cuttack, Khordha, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Malkangiri, and Mayurbhanj are among the 19 districts where schools will be closed. If there is a "exam schedule planned earlier," it "may be conducted with utmost care under supervision," according to the order.

"There is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in all the above districts under reference or in isolated places. The students should not come to school. However, if there is any exam schedule planned earlier, it may be conducted with utmost care under the supervision of the District administration," the order read.

The University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET), which was planned for December 5 in both states, has been postponed by the National Testing Agency. "Due to the red alert issued in the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh for cyclone Jawad on December 4, 2021, the UGC-NET December 2020 and June 2021 examinations, which were scheduled to take place on December 5, 2021, have been delayed," according to the NTA.

Other states' exams, on the other hand, would be unaffected. According to the NTA, a revised datasheet for the postponed examination will be uploaded later.