Odisha starts preparations with eye on cyclone route

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday stepped up its preparedness following the cyclone alert over the north Andaman Sea and the adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal. Officials said preparations are being made keeping the Covid protocols in mind.
According to the IMD, a low pressure area is likely to form on Saturday, which may intensify into a cyclonic storm by Monday. Though the exact point of its landfall is yet to be ascertained, the cyclonic storm, to be named Yass, will reach the north Bay of Bengal near the Odisha-West Bengal coasts around the morning of May 26 .
The National Disaster Management Authority has asked states, including Odisha, to take preparatory measures in view of the cyclonic storm. Chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra also chaired a meeting, which was attended by the secretaries of various departments and the district collectors of 14 coastal and adjoining districts, in this regard.
“The preparatory measures required for the evacuation, cyclone shelter management and post-cyclone restoration are in full swing. Five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from the 3rd battalion, Mundali near Bhubaneswar, which were deputed in Gujarat, are being brought back to Odisha. The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire service personnel are being kept ready for mobilisation,” special relief commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said.
He added, “The state government has decided to involve Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members to ensure smooth evacuation, wherever and whenever necessary. We are making sure that no person remains in a kutcha house and in low-lying areas.”
The state fisheries department has requested the fishermen communities in seaside villages to not venture into the sea from Friday.
“We are also in constant touch with the Coast Guard authorities in Paradip, who are now patrolling the deep seas to ensure that none of the fishing boats remain there by Saturday,” the relief commissioner said.
The SRC also reviewed the preparedness of the energy department and distribution companies for the mobilisation of manpower, materials, equipment for quick restoration of supply.