Cyclone Jawad: Red alert in Odisha, NDRF teams on standby

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a crucial meeting on Thursday, to discuss cyclone-related situation in the country. The meeting comes in the wake of an impending cyclone in the Bay of Bengal.

The low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into cyclonic storm Jawad by December 3. It is expected to cross the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha by the morning of December 4, with wind speeds ranging from 90 kmph to 100 kmph, accompanied by heavy rainfall and tidal waves in the coastal districts of these states.

The cyclonic storm is likely to affect the districts of Srikakulam, Vishakhapatnam and Vijayanagaram in Andhra Pradesh and the coastal districts of Odisha. It is also likely to bring heavy to very heavy rainfall in the coastal areas and Gangetic parts of West Bengal.

The sea condition is likely to be very rough with squally winds reaching a speed of 45 to 55 kmph, gusting to 65 kmph on December 3. The wind speed is likely to reach 80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph on December 4 morning, according to the weather department.

Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba held a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) on Wednesday to review the preparedness of central ministries and agencies ahead of the landfall of the cyclone.

Gauba emphasised that fishermen and all vessels at sea must be called back immediately and people in areas likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm are evacuated at the earliest.

Director-General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mrutunjay Mohapatra gave a presentation at the meeting where he gave details about the current status of the cyclone and its expected path of movement.

The IMD has issued red alert (signifying heavy to very heavy rainfall) in Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha. Orange alert has been issued in Kendrapara, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Koraput districts for December 4 after the cyclonic storm reaches near the coast. It also issued yellow al indicating heavy rainfall in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Malkangiri districts on the same day.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 32 teams in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and additional teams are also being kept on standby. The Army and Navy too are ready along with their ships and aircraft.

The Coast Guard has already initiated extensive pre-emptive measures in the eastern coast keeping in view the approaching cyclonic storm. The Coast Guard Disaster Relief Teams (DRTs) with inflatable boats, life buoys and life jackets are on the standby for disaster response operation, a tweet by the Defence public relations officer in Chennai said on Wednesday.