Bhubaneswar: All possible measures have been taken by Odisha government to tackle the cyclonic storm which is predicted over the Bay of Bengal, said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena.
Briefing mediapersons here on Friday, the SRC said ODRAF, NDRF and Fire Service personnel have been sent to vulnerable areas of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Nayagarh, Khurda, Cuttack and Gajapati districts and kept in readiness to carry out rescue operation.
He further said the five NDRF teams sent to Gujarat for rescue operation in the cyclone-hit areas will be returning to the state and be deployed in the vulnerable pockets.
Stating that he had a virtual meeting with the IMD and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) officials this morning, Jena said as per the IMD forecast, a low-pressure area will be formed over the Bay of Bengal on May 22. The system will intensify into depression on May 23 and later into a cyclonic storm on May 24.
“As per the projection by IMD, the landfall of the cyclonic storm will be between North Odisha and Sundarbans in West Bengal. Although IMD is yet to give the details about the velocity and intensity of the cyclone, Odisha government has taken all possible measures to meet any eventuality,” the SRC added.
He further said on the advice of the IMD, local fishermen have been told not to venture into the deep sea from today and those in the deep sea have been asked to return to the coast by tomorrow. Besides, some fishing trawlers have brought to the coast by the Coast Guard personnel.
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On the possible damage in the urban areas, Jena said high-mast lights in all urban localities will be brought down within the next 24 hours. “Besides, the advertising agencies have been told to remove hoardings and display boards by May 24 failing which they will be forcibly removed by the civic body authorities,” he pointed out.
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