Bhubaneswar: With the deep depression over the westcentral Bay of Bengal intensifying into a cyclonic storm, named Titli, and is most likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours, the Odisha government on Tuesday came up with a detailed blueprint to ensure zero casualties.
Talking to mediapersons after presiding over a preparatory review meeting at the State Secretariat in the afternoon, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said that acting on the IMD forecast, all educational institutions in Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts will remain closed on Wednesday. “The state government will take similar decision for other districts on Wednesday evening after assessing the intensity of the cyclonic storm,” he added.
He also informed that six teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 10 of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have been deployed in all the vulnerable districts with rescue equipment.
Asked about the evacuation of the people of the low-lying areas of Ganjam and Gajapati districts, Padhi said the decision to this effect will be taken on Wednesday evening.
In an afternoon release, the IMD said: “The deep depression over the west-central Bay of Bengal has moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 8 kmph during past six hours and intensified into a Cyclonic Storm ‘Title’ and lay centered over the west-central Bay of Bengal, about 490 km south-east of Gopalpur and 480 km east-south-east of Kalingapatnam. It is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and move west-northwestwards for some more time. Later it will change its course and move in the north-west direction and cross Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Gopalpur and Kalingapatnam around morning on October 11. Thereafter, it is very likely to re-curve towards the north-east direction and move towards Gangetic West Bengal across coastal Odisha and weaken gradually.”
Going by the intensity of the Cyclone Titli, IMD has issued ‘yellow warning’ for Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts on October 9, ‘orange warning’ for Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak and Balasore and ‘red warning’ for Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara district on October 10 and for Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Rayagada, Koraput, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Boudh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak and Balasore districts on October 11.
Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting up to 65 kmph is most likely to commence along and off the Odisha coast from the night of October 9, which will increase further to 100-110 kmph gusting up to 125 kmph along and off the south Odisha coast and 65-75 kmph gusting up to 85 kmph along and off the north Odisha coast from the evening of October 10.
During the period, the sea condition would be rough to very rough over the central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal on October 9 and very rough to extremely rough on October 10 and 11.
Besides, the cyclonic storm will surge to a height of about 0.5 metre above the astronomical tide which is most likely inundate the low-lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda and Puri districts at the time of the landfall, the release said.
It also said that the cyclonic storm will mostly affect Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Nayagarh and Puri districts and damage thatched huts, houses, power and communication lines. There will be major damage to kutcha road and minor damage to pucca roads. Besides, it will also damage the paddy crops and other horticulture plants. There is also a possibility of sea water gushing into low lying areas after erosion of kutcha embankments, it pointed out.
The IMD has advised the state government to suspend fishing operations and evacuate the coastal hutment dwellers to safer places.
The fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast and central and north Bay of Bengal till October 12 and the port authorities directed to hoist local warning signal no-4.
Meanwhile, the State Fire Services department has also kept itself prepared for the approaching cyclone.
As informed by the Chief Fire Officer Sukant Sethi, the leave of all Fire services staff has been cancelled. Instructions have been given to all fire stations to keep the necessary equipment ready. About 20 teams in the North Odisha districts have been kept in readiness and they will be deployed in the affected areas if necessary.
In a letter to the collectors of the 13 districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Boudh and Kandhamal, the Health department has asked them to appoint one nodal officer and keep adequate generators for emergency. Besides, the CDMOs have been asked to keep adequate medicines and evacuate pregnant women and post-natal mothers and keep them either in the gynaecology ward of the hospital or at the Maa Ghar.
