Cyclone warning: State government machinery put on full alert

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The India meteorological department (IMD) has warned of a possible cyclone, as there is likely to be a depression over the south east Arabian Sea on Friday, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Wednesday.
“Even though the state is not falling in the predicted trajectory of the cyclone, the state is expected to get heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday,” he said. He said that the state executive committee of the disaster management authority has convened and analysed the situation, and the government machinery has been asked to be on full alert. “The quantity of the rain to be received would be normal or more this year,” he said.
The chief minister said that in the meeting convened for discussing the preparations on Wednesday, the representatives of the central agencies, including the defence forces, have participated. “The air force has agreed to station a helicopter in Thiruvananthapuram for emergency operations,” he said.
He said that since there is a prediction that the sea would become tense from Thursday, a ban has been imposed on fishermen foraying into the sea from midnight on Wednesday. Those fishermen who are already in the sea, have been asked to go to the nearest shore. He said that the afternoon showers with thunder and lightning could continue in the coming days too.
He said the Kerala state electricity board has been asked to ensure that there is no power outage in the Covid hospitals in the state. “Backup power also has been asked to be ensured in them,” he said.
The CM said the formation of depression over the Arabian Sea is being closely watched by the emergency operations centre, and the control rooms of the district disaster management authorities (DDMA) are functioning round the clock. He added that the public can contact the toll free number1077 in these control rooms.
The pre-monsoon preparedness meeting was chaired by principal secretary (revenue and disaster management) A Jayathilak. The local self-government has formed rapid response teams (RRTs), and the national disaster response force (NDRF) is ready for any emergency action as the force is already stationed at Thrissur.
The Army and Navy are ready with evacuation plans. A public announcement system is being arranged in the coastal area. The Coast Guard is also ready for assistance in the sea. Station commander of the Army, Pangode, and fire and rescue department informed the meeting that the Army and the fire force are fully equipped for any monsoon-related relief operations.
The fire and rescue department informed that the department has mobilized civil defence volunteers. The dam safety authority representatives informed the meeting that the emergency action plan for all the dams are intact, and the safety of all the dams have been checked. Each district has been asked to convene DDMA meetings exclusively for monsoon-related activities.