Cyclone Gulab has made landfall in coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the weather office tweeted this evening. The cyclone will cross the coasts between Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Gopalpur in Odisha in the next three hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The coastal districts in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have been put on red alert.
"The cloud bands have touched coastal regions and thus the landfall process has commenced over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south coastal Odisha. System will cross coasts between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur, about 25 km to north of Kalingapatnam, during the next three hours," the IMD tweeted.
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.
Cyclone 'Gulab', named by Pakistan, is the second to hit Odisha in four months after Cyclone Yaas wreaked havoc in May.