Cyclone Gulab is the second to hit Odisha in four months after Cyclone Yaas wreaked havoc
Cyclone Gulab made landfall in coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the weather office tweeted Sunday evening. The cyclone crossed the coasts between Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Gopalpur and weakened into a deep depression overnight.
"The cyclonic storm 'Gulab' over north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha, weakened into a deep depression at 0230 hrs IST of 27th Sep over north Andhra Pradesh. It is likely to continue to move west-northwestwards and weaken further into a depression during next 06 hrs (sic)," the India Meteorological Department (IMD) tweeted this morning.
Cyclone Gulab is the second to hit Odisha in four months after Cyclone Yaas in May. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said efforts are on to ensure no casualties due to the cyclone in the seven high-risk districts - Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Mr Patnaik and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and assured them of the centre's support. "Discussed the cyclone situation in parts of Odisha with CM @Naveen_Odisha Ji. The Centre assures all possible support in overcoming this adversity," PM Modi tweeted.
Five fishermen from Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam fell into the sea after strong waves hit their boat off Mandasa coast, ANI reported, adding police and other teams are trying to rescue them.
At least 42 teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and 24 squads of the National Disaster Response Force, along with over 100 teams of firefighters have been dispatched to these places.
"The Chief Minister has asked people to remain indoors, particularly in pucca houses from Sunday evening till 10 am on Monday, during which the cyclone will pass through the region," Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena told reporters.
Over the next three days, the sea condition will be rough to very rough and fishermen in Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have been asked to not venture into east-central and adjoining northeast Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.
In West Bengal, fearful that Cyclone Gulab could wreak havoc despite being unlikely to hit the state directly, officials said they still carried out evacuations. "We have so far evacuated more than 20,000 people to schools (and) government offices, which have been turned to cyclone shelters," Bankim Hazra, a state minister responsible for the low-lying areas, told news agency AFP.