Cyclone Fani: The images tweeted by the Navy show how choppy the waters have gotten
Cyclone Fani, which could be the worst cyclonic storm to hit India since 1999, has started making its impact. To demonstrate just how strong the cyclone is, the Indian Navy on Thursday released pictures of one of its ships, showing the violent roll being experienced by it in choppy waters.
The Navy, along with the Air Force, Coast Guard and personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, has been deployed in vulnerable areas to help in administration and evacuations in Odisha.
The Navy tweeted three pictures. Two pictures show the deck of the ship, tilting in opposite directions in the two photos. The ship seems to be tilting at an angle of almost 45 degrees in the photo, giving a glimpse of how rough the waters have gotten in the wake of Cyclone Fani. The other picture is of the wet quarterdeck of the ship, implying the ship had been in and out of water.
"Have a look at the roll being experienced by one of the ships deployed in the wake of #CycloneFani. Do notice the totally wet quarter deck.. Yes, it's getting in and out of water view choppy seas around," the Navy tweeted.
The Navy also said in a tweet that it has deployed seven warships and kept six fixed wing aircraft and seven helicopters on standby at the INS Dega in Vizag.
Almost 1 million people from Odisha were evacuated to temporary shelters ahead of Cyclone Fani making landfall. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness on the ground ahead of the "extremely severe cyclone". The Indian Meteorological Department has warned of very heavy rainfall, "phenomenal sea conditions" and winds up to 175 km/hr when the cyclone makes landfall south of Puri.