State braces for storm after fresh IMD alert

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Wednesday asked the district collectors to brace themselves for a possible cyclone after the IMD hinted that a cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea may turn into a low pressure by Friday (May 6) and intensify into a depression in 48 hours thereafter.
Chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said, “The government is fully ready to face a cyclone. We are keeping a close watch on the developing situation and have asked the district chiefs to be alert. The picture will be clearer in the next three days.”
Though the Met department is yet to predict whether the cyclonic circulation will eventually turn into a cyclone, IMD director general Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra did not rule out such a possibility. “Storms in May generally gain strength on their way. We will know for sure whether a cyclone will strike or not only once the low pressure is formed, which is likely by May 6. Its possible path, sphere of influence and impact can also be mapped after that,” he told TOI. Mohapatra said fishermen should not venture into the sea and those out there should return to the coast as soon as they can.
Echoing Mohapatra, IMD (Bhubaneswar) director H R Biswas said, “Almost 70% of similar weather systems in May have generally turned into cyclones in the past. However, it is too early to predict about the current system at this stage.” To stop people from resorting to panic buying, food supplies and consumer welfare minister, Ranendra Pratap Swain, said, “Don’t store essential items unnecessarily fearing a cyclone. This may create artificial shortage in the market giving a scope to unscrupulous traders to jack up prices.”