"Extremely severe" Cyclone Fani closed in on India’s eastern coast and is expected to make landfall tomorrow, May 3.
Catch the latest updates of the Cyclone and the aftermath here.
Authorities across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal are gearing up with the assistance of the Centre to avoid loss of life and damage.
At least 19 districts in the three states are likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm. It is expected to make landfall south of Puri, Odisha on May 3 afternoon with wind speeds ranging up to 180 kilometres per hour (kmph), causing heavy rainfall in the coastal districts.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that the storm may surge about 1.5 metres in height and may impact low-lying coastal areas of Odisha’s Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts at the time of landfall.
The IMD has issued a “yellow warning” for the Odisha coast and suggested total suspension of fishing activities, extensive evacuation from coastal areas, and diversion or suspension of rail and road traffic.
Around 900 cyclone shelters have been made ready to house evacuees.
About 8 lakh people are expected to be evacuated from low-lying areas of 14 districts in Odisha to cyclone shelters, safer schools and college buildings.
The state governments have issued advisories and are ensuring that fishermen do not venture into the sea.
The IMD has been issuing bulletins every three hours with the latest forecast to all the states concerned.
States which have offered contribution to Odisha for relief and rehabilitation efforts:
Tamil Nadu: Rs 10 crore.
Maharashtra: Rs 10 crore.
Uttar Pradesh: Rs 10crore
Gujarat: Rs 5 crore
Chhattisgarh: Rs 11 crore
16 dead in Odisha, massive restoration work mounted
The death toll rose to 16 in Odisha yesterday as the government mounted a massive restoration work across 10,000 villages and 52 urban areas ravaged by the storm that pounded coastal parts of the state, affecting nearly one crore people.
The toll due to Cyclone Fani, which stood at eight on Friday, mounted to 16 yesterday -- four deaths in Mayurbhanj district, 3 each in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Jajpur; and 1 each in Keonjhar, Nayagarh and Kendrapara, officials said. (PTI)
Not much damage by in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee
Except for damaging a few huts, Cyclone Fani did not cause much havoc in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said as the severe cyclonic storm weakened on May 4 morning and headed towards neighbouring Bangladesh.
While flight operations resumed at the Kolkata airport at 9.57 am, train services on the Sealdah and Howrah sections are also getting back to normal.
The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) resumed its routine operation on May 4 morning at both Haldia and Kolkata docks.
Bhubaneshwar
The Railways will resume all train services from on May 5, except two, and it has already cleared the
Howrah-Chennai mainline, barely 24 hours after the cyclonehit Odisha, officials said. Read MoreRead more
SDMA sources said the heat wave was likely to persist over the next few days and advised people to restrict outdoor activities especially between noon and 3 pm when the impact could be higher.
Kolkata
As cyclone 'Fani' has moved away, flight operations resumed at and
Bhubaneswar airports on May 4, said the ministry of civil aviation. "Flight operations to and from Bhubaneswar airport has resumed. Alliance Air flight from Ranchi is the first flight to land," tweeted the ministry. Read MoreHyundai Motor India
has stationed a dedicated emergency road service team to support the Fani cyclone affected customers or vehicles in the states of Odisha and West Bengal.
Read moreUpdate:
65 rescue and relief teams of NDRF are pre-positioned in various parts of the vulnerable states. Odisha has 44 teams, WestBengal has 9,Andhra Pradesh has 3, and there is one team each in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya, 2 teams each in Jharkhand, Kerala andTamil
Nadu.
Cyclone 'Fani' no more a threat to West Bengal: Met official
Cyclone 'Fani', which ravaged most parts of Odisha and left 12 people dead, poses no threat to West Bengal anymore, as it weakens further before entering neighbouring Bangladesh, a senior official said on Saturday. As per forecast, there will be moderate to light rainfall, particularly in the districts adjacent to Bangladesh, but the weather condition in and around the city will normalise through the course of the day, Deputy Director General of the Regional Meteorological Centre here, Sanjib Bandyopadhyay told PTI.
1.2 million people evacuated in 24 hours: Odisha CM
"A record of 1.2 million people were evacuated in 24 hours, 3.2 lakh from Ganjam, 1.3 lakh from Puri and almost 7000 kitchens catering to 9000 shelters were made functional overnight. This mammoth exercise involved more than 45,000 volunteers," Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik said. He added that according to the governmnt's reports, deaths are in single digits.
1.2 million people evacuated in 24 hours: Odisha CM
"A record of 1.2 million people were evacuated in 24 hours, 3.2 lakh from Ganjam, 1.3 lakh from Puri and almost 7000 kitchens catering to 9000 shelters were made functional overnight. This mammoth exercise involved more than 45,000 volunteers," Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik said.
PM Modi speaks to West Bengal Governor
As West Bengal braces for Cyclone Fani's landfall, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the governor of the state, Keshari Nath Tripathi, about the ground situation. During his conversation with Tripathi, the prime minister reiterated the Centre's readiness to provide all help needed to cope with the extremely severe cyclonic storm.
"Also conveyed my solidarity with the people of Bengal in the wake of Cyclone Fani," Modi said in a tweet. (PTI)
Jharkhand government asks officials to be prepared for Fani
The Jharkhand government issued an advisory on May 3, asking all district deputy commissioners to set up control rooms to meet any exigency in the wake of the cyclonic storm 'Fani'.
An official release, quoting the regional meteorological department, said from the afternoon of May 3 to May 4, widespread rains accompanied by strong winds will occur in all the 24 districts of the state. (PTI)
IMD UPDATE:
Severe cyclone Fani weakened into a cyclonic storm and lay centered at 60 km NW of Kolkata at 0530 IST on May 4. It is expected to weaken into Deep Depression and move into Bangladesh by noon.
Quick Reaction Team of Navy from INS Chilka provided emergency assistance in nearby villages in cutting and clearing of trees which had fallen due to the storm
Visuals of heavy rainfall from Kolkata. #CycloneFani made its landfall in Puri, Odisha earlier in the day.
Fani hits West Bengal
CycloneFani hits West Bengal by crossing Kharagpur. It is expected to continue further in North-East direction with the wind speed of 90 km/hour.
The Very Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘FANI’ (pronounced as ‘FONI’) over Coastal Odisha moved further north-northeastwards with a speed of about 20 kmph in the last six hours and lay centred at 1730 hrs IST of 03rd May, 2019 over Coastal Odisha, about 60 km southwest of Balasore (Odisha) and 160 km southwest of Midnapore (West Bengal). (Image: Indian Meteorological Department)
Update:
Cyclone Fani to move northwards towards West Bengal and the Northeast.National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have reached for pre-positioning in Assam's Cachar, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Sonitpur, Tinsukia and Jorhat districts, the Times of India has reported.
Helicopters have been kept ready at Bagdogra and Purnea for quick deployment in Odisha and West Bengal, The Times of India quoted aDefence release assaying.
Update from CMO:
Power restoration in Ganjam district to be completed tomorrow and effort been undertaken for other places on war footing. Restoration of roads has started and already completed in Ganjam & Gajapati districts.
JUST IN | Bhubaneshwar Airport to resume activity on May 4, 1 pm onwards, Ministry of Civil Aviation has said in a press release.
SN Pradhan, DG NDRF:
As of now, three persons have lost their lives in the cyclone. The precautions that have been taken should be continued.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu:
Directed Civil Aviation Secretary to continuously monitor situation. DGCA will issue revised advisories to airlines as and when necessary. Taking all possible steps for passenger safety and to minimise inconvenience.
Indian Coast Guard Inspector General KR Suresh:
So far, we have not received any reports about loss of life in the sea.
Cyclone Fani now weakening, says IMD
Cyclone Fani, the strongest storm to hit India since 2014, is weakening after barreling into Odisha, the chief of the state-run India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an NDTV report.
Heavy rains, along with strong winds, will continue throughout the day in Odisha, where more a million people have been evacuated, K J Ramesh, Director General of the IMD said. "After making landfall this morning, cyclone Fani has started weakening and it's likely to enter Bangladesh by tomorrow evening," he said. "No cyclone ever had such a long duration in April."
Parts of UP to witness light rain, thunderstorm
Thunderstorm with light rain and gusty winds (20-30 Km/h) to occur over and adjoining areas of Barsana, Bharatpur, Mathura during the next 2 hours.
JUST IN:
In Kolkata, a special media briefing will be held by the Met Office at 1:30 pm. The weather department said Cyclone Fani is 380 km away from Kolkata and 350 km away from West Bengal. The eye of the cyclone has already crossed Puri.
Cyclone Fani to hit Bengal early, coastal districts on high alert
Landfall in Odisha occurred much ahead of time which is why the cyclone could reach West Bengal early, before midnight, at a speed of 80-100 kmph.
By Saturday evening, the cyclone will move towards Bangladesh. Districts of East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Birbhum, Bankura and North and South 24 Parganas are on alert as they could be majorly affected.
JUST IN:
At least six people killed, villages submerged and trees uprooted in Puri, CNN News18 reported.
In a rally event in Karauli, Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I took the latest update from officers. I held a review meeting yesterday. More than Rs 1000 crorewas released to concerned governments yesterday in advance. NDRF, Indian Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force are working with administration. I assure the affected people that nation and the Centre are with them.
UPDATE:
Indian Navy's P-8I and Dornier are being scheduled to be launched in the afternoon to undertake an aerial survey to assess the extent of impact and devastation post-FANI crossing the coast.
Cyclone Fani has moved away from Andhra
"Cyclone Fani has moved away from Andhra Pradesh, so, we have issued a de-warning. 3 districts in the state were impacted by heavy rainfall,"Mrityunjay Mohapatra, IMD, Delhi, said.
"In the next 3 hours, Cyclone Fani is expected to weaken with a wind speed of 150-160 km per hour, subsequently it will weaken and move north-northeastwards. By evening, it may weaken into severe cyclonic storm over extreme northern part of Odisha," saidMrityunjayMohapatra,IMD, Delhi.
Odisha: Several trees uprooted in Bhubaneswar as strong winds hit the region under the influence of CycloneFani
JUST IN |
NDRF team deployed at Digha, West Bengal,evacuated total 132 people, including 52 children, from Dattapur and Tajpur. They have been taken to a shelter. (ANI)
Rough sea weather conditions in Bhadrak, Odisha
JUST IN:
One person died due to the uprooting of trees in Sakhigopal area of Puri due to strong winds. Rainfall under the impact ofFaniis around 150 mm in affected areas. (News18)
All flights cancelled in Kolkata Airport due to Cyclone Fani
Airport authorities have asked airlines to cancel domestic and international flights from 3:00 pm on May 3 to 8:30 am on May 4 due to cyclone Fanifrom the Kolkata Airport. Engineers and other emergency systems are on standby at the airport. While in Tripura, as of now there has been no impact of cyclone Fani to Agartala Airport and all flights are on schedule. (News18)
