Cyclone Fani has made landfall in Odisha – parts of Puri are already submerged. Fani is the most severe cyclone to hit Odisha since the year 1999. Moving at a roaring speed of 205 km/h, Fani is being suspected to cause massive damages in the upcoming hours. A high alert has been declared in the state.
The neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have also been put on high alert as a precautionary measure to dodge further damage. A lot of disaster relief agencies have sprung into action to arrest the havoc brought in by the natural disaster, and are doing their best to help the ones in need.
20 year ago, when the cyclone of similar magnitude hit the same region, more than 10,000 people lost their lives. The economic loss equalled approximately 6 months’ worth of livelihoods.
The positive news this time around is that we have come a long way in terms of preparedness since. The government and non-government organizations have been working over the last few days towards disaster mitigation. The government is evacuating more than 10,00,000 people living and visiting Puri which is expected to be worst hit. More than 200 trains and several flights have also been cancelled in anticipation of major disruption. The government has identified 4,852 cyclone and flood shelters to that supply of necessities is not limited severely. The Central and the state government have put the disaster relief machinery and Armed forces on high alert.
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That said, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is expected to touch Odisha coast south of Puri tomorrow afternoon with wind speeds ranging up to 180 kilometres per hour. Fani currently is about 80 kilometers off the coast of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states.Its intensity is equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane.
The storm is likely to impact coastal districts of Odisha including Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore. In West Bengal, districts of East and West Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogly, Jhargram and Kolkata along with Srikakulam, Vijayanagram and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh are likely to be affected.
If you are in these areas, please stay safe and reach your closest evacuation site.
Odisha government’s helpline number for Cyclone Fani is +916742534177. Please find helpline number for various Odisha districts here.
You can help those stuck in the cyclone-hit areas by donating on our campaign here. Funds collected on the campaign will be routed to the CM Relief Fund and Goonj, our trusted on-ground rescue and rehabilitation partner.
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