Cyclone Fani status: Coastal Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are on high alert.
The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani will make landfall today morning around 9.30 am in Odisha's Puri, much before the earlier forecast of 3 pm. With a few hours left for cyclone Fani to hit the coast, a massive exodus got under way in coastal Odisha as hundreds of thousands of people left their home, on foot and by vehicles, in probably the largest evacuation ahead of a natural disaster in the country. The Odisha government has moved 11 lakh people to safety and advised the public to remain indoor on Friday. Fani is being regarded as the most severe cyclonic storm since the super cyclone of 1999 that claimed close to 10,000 lives and left a trail of destruction in vast swathes of the state, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre. Fani, according to sources, has gathered speed and is rolling dangerously towards the coast clocking 17 km per hour. After crossing Odisha, cyclone Fani is likely to move towards West Bengal before tapering off. It is, however, still likely to impact parts of the northeast, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. There is forecast of massive tides that could surge up to 1.5 metres during the landfall, officials said. Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea.
Here are the live updates on Cyclone Fani:
Rainfall report as of 2.30 am by Met department:
Gopalpur - 10 centimetres
Puri - 8 centimetres
Kalingapatnam - 9 centimetres
"Outer rain band lies over coastal Odisha. Heavy rainfall continuing over coastal Odisha & north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Gopalpur reported 52 kmph wind and 10 cm rain at 0130 hrs IST," the Met department tweeted.
The Bangladesh government has issued mass evacuation orders in 19 coastal districts to prevent casualties as meteorologists predicted cyclonic storm Fani to make landfall on Friday after hitting Indian coastlines. Residents from the 19 districts will be shifted to over 4,000 shelters erected along the coastlines, while the local authorities took possession of safe installations like schools to be used as shelters, if required, news agency PTI reported. The armed forces were also kept ready for disaster operations. Weather experts said parts of eastern India and Bangladesh could expect 150 to 300 mm rain with locally higher amounts regardless of the intensity.
Photo provided by NASA shows a satellite view of Cyclone Fani:
As Cyclone Fani is due to make landfall tomorrow, the Indian Navy has deployed three naval ships so that it can launch rescue operation after the cyclone hits the coastline of Odisha. "Indian naval ships Sahyadri, Ranvir and Kadmatt with relief material and medical teams have been deployed so that they can commence rescue operation as soon as the cyclone crosses the coast," Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. "Helicopters are also kept standby for joining in rescue operation and for air dropping of relief material when required," he added.
The India Meteorological Department, or IMD, has cautioned people to not lower guard after the first arm of Cyclone Fani hits the east coast and moves forward, bringing the eye of the storm into the focus which is very calm.
As the eye inches forward, the very calmness brings further destruction as the second arm of the cyclone is equally violent.
An eye is the centre of a cyclone, which is calm, while the strong winds that circle it are known as the arms of the storm.
Women in their advanced stage of pregnancy were shifted to nearby hospitals as part of its evacuation drive in the coastal areas of Odisha as the 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm Fani is fast approaching the east coast. More than 1,000 pregnant women have been admitted in different hospitals, an official said. "Altogether, 631 pregnant women living in cyclone-susceptible pockets of Kendrapara were found out to be in their advanced stage. We are hopeful that all of them will moved to hospitals by tonight," he said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said that no flight will depart or arrive at Kolkata airport between 9.30 pm tomorrow till 6 pm on May 4 due to cyclone Fani. The aviation body also said that all flights to and fro Bhubaneswar airport on May 3 stand cancelled.
No flights will take off from midnight today for the next 24 hrs from Bhubaneswar Airport as cyclone Fani is expected to make landfall in the coastal state of Odisha tomorrow.
Cyclone Fani likely to reach West Bengal on Saturday:Cyclone Fani is likely to reach West Bengal by the morning of May 4, following which it will move to Bangladesh towards the evening. News agency IANS reported that squally winds at 70 to 80 kmph reaching up to 100 kmph are expected to accompany rain showers in Kolkata. "We have heard that the cyclone has turned towards Bengal and it will also hit Kolkata. But people should not panic unnecessarily. All precautionary steps are being taken to prevent any loss of life," Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said. By Saturday, rains will cover central parts of the state -- Krishnanagar, Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Malda. Private weather forecaster Skymet has predicted light to moderate rains, along with one or two heavy spells over these areas. By Sunday, the cyclonic storm Fani was expected to lose strength and move towards Bangladesh.
Fani landfall expected earlier:Odisha State Disaster Management Authority has said that Cyclone Fani will make a landfall tomorrow likely between 12pm to 2pm. Earlier, the landfall was expected at 5.30 pm tomorrow.
Union Minister for civil aviation Suresh Prabhu has directed all airlines to offer all assistance for rescue and relief operations over Cyclone Fani. He has also ordered that relief material be airlifted to be delivered to officially-designated agencies.
Around 89 trains have been cancelled over the last two days due to cyclone 'Fani'. The disruption is likely to affect Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Indian Railways said three special trains have been put into service to ferry stranded passengers from affected areas.
All GoAir flights in and out from Bhubaneswar airport stand cancelled for tomorrow, that is May 3, as Cyclone 'Fani' is likely to hit south of Puri in Odisha on Friday.
Parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh started receiving heavy rains today as cyclonic storm 'Fani' in the Bay of Bengal neared the coast. Authorities have sounded a red alert in Srikakulam district abutting Odisha as the cyclone is likely to make a landfall near Odisha's Puri tomorrow.
PM Narendra Modi reviews preparedness for cyclone 'Fani':Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reviewed the preparedness for cyclone Fani and instructed government officials to maintain close coordination with officials of the affected states to ensure preventive measures. PM Modi also asked the concerned officers to take effective steps for relief and rescue operations, as required. The Prime Minister was briefed on the likely path of the cyclone, and the ongoing precautionary and preparatory measures being undertaken.
Cyclone Fani: PM Modi chairs high-level meeting to review preparedness
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness for Cyclone Fani. The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the PM, Additional Principal Secretary to the PM, the Home Secretary and other senior officials from IMD, NDRF, NDMA&PMO, news agency ANI said.
Extensive evacuation operations are being taken up to move almost 8 lakh people from 11 districts of the state to safety in more than 880 shelters, the Odisha government said. Three special trains also being run to evacuate tourists & visitors from Puri to Howrah.
Cyclone Fani: ONGC evacuates nearly 500 employees
India's biggest oil and gas producer ONGC has evacuated close to 500 of its employees from offshore installations in the Bay of Bengal and moved drilling rigs to safer locations ahead of an impending cyclone that is expected to make landfall on Friday.
India's eastern coast is dotted with oil and gas installations including three refineries and numerous rigs and offshore platforms that are used to explore and produce oil and gas.
Sources privy to the development said while operations at Paradip port in Odisha and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh have been shut and ships have been ordered to move out to sea to avoid damage, the refineries are operating but with all precautions in place.
Suresh Prabhu asks airport authorities to stay alert
All authorities concerned have been alerted so that they are ready to deal with cyclone Fani, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said Thursday.
Fani is expected to hit the Odisha coast on Friday. Other states on the eastern coast, such as West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are also expected to be affected by it.
"Alerted all concerned to be ready to deal with Cyclone Fani. Airport Authority of India issued alert to all coastal airports to ensure all precautions, SOPs (standard operating procedures) put in place immediately," Prabhu tweeted.
The NDRF has deployed 28 teams in Odisha, 12 in Andhra Pradesh and six teams in West Bengal for relief and rescue work. Over 30 additional teams are on standby with boats, tree cutters, telecom equipment said officials.
Odisha Braces For Fani (Foni), Worst Since 1999 Super Cyclone That Killed 10,000
With Cyclone Fani expected to make a landfall in Odisha anytime after tomorrow afternoon, authorities are carrying out evacuations on a war footing in the low-lying coastal areas to ensure no lives are lost by the cyclonic storm, said to be the worst since the super cyclone of 1999 that killed around 10,000 people and devastated large parts of the state."
Today mostly south coastal Odisha & adjoining interior Odisha will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall. Tomorrow all 11 coastal districts along with & adjoining interior districts will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall," HR Biswas, Director, Met Dept, Bhubaneswar said.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team arrives in Ichchapuram, Srikakulam.
All schools and colleges have been closed for the next three days in Odisha. Over 8 lakh people in the coastal districts are being evacuated, said officials in the state government.
At least 97.40 lakh SMSes, including 26.30 lakh today, have been sent through Early Warning Dissemination System (Location Based Alert System) to people living in areas likely to be impacted by cyclone, the government said.
Cyclone Fani is expected to make landfall in south of Puri
After moving in the Northwest direction, Cyclone Fani is now recurving Northeast and moving parallel to the coast of Vishakapatnam. The cyclonic storm is 220 kms away from Vishakapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) 430 kms from Puri, Odisha.
Cyclone Fani is expected to make landfall in south of Puri. It will be bringing in heavy showers to Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal over the weekend.
The intensity of the cyclone will be 170-180 gusting to 200 at the time of landfall.
Odisha's worst-ever cyclone, in 1999, killed over 10,000 people
Last October, Odisha had to evacuate some 300,000 people when its coastal districts were battered by cyclone Titli, with winds up to 150 kms (95 miles) per hour and heavy rains.
At least two people were killed in the cyclone.
Storms regularly hit eastern and southeastern India between April and December. In 2017, Cyclone Ockhi left nearly 250 people dead in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states.
Odisha's worst-ever cyclone, in 1999, killed over 10,000 people.
Cyclone Fani likely to make landfall in Odisha anytime after tomorrow afternoon
Cyclone Fani is likely to make landfall at Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali anytime after tomorrow afternoon, with wind speed of up to 200 km per hour.
According to the latest forecast by the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JWTC), Fani, is the most severe cyclonic storm since the super cyclone of 1999 that devastated large parts of the state.
About 879 cyclone centres have been set up to shelter people evacuated people, the chief minister's office said. Each shelter will be managed by 50 volunteers trained by Odisha government, it said.
Evacuations have started on a war footing in the coastal districts of Odisha. People are being evacuated from Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Gajapati, Ganjam, Khordha, Cuttack and Jajpur.
Cyclone Fani: 103 trains have been cancelled, 2 diverted
With severe cyclonic storm Fani set to make landfall in Odisha and parts of West Bengal on May 3, the Indian Railways on Wednesday cancelled over 100 trains and diverted two others as a precautionary measure.
Nineteen districts of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh are likely to be hit by cyclone Fani. Cyclone Fani about 500 kms from Odisha: Met departmentCyclone Fani, which has turned into an "extreme severe cyclonic" storm, is about 540 km from the Odisha coast, the India Meteorological Department or IMD said in an early morning tweet. The cyclonic storm is moving northwards with a speed of 5 kms per hour in last six hours and is likely to make landfall at Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, on May 3 with wind speed of up to 200 km per hour.
For all the information on yesterday's developments around Cyclone Fani, click
here