Cyclone Jawad likely to reach Odisha coast on December 4, evacuation efforts underway
Highlights
- IMD has predicted that low-pressure area in Andaman will intensify move towards the Odisha coast.
- The Coast Guard has initiated extensive pre-emptive measures in eastern coast keeping it in view.
- The sea condition is likely to be very rough with the squally wind speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph.
The Odisha government on Wednesday asked collecters of 13 districts to prepare for the evacuation of the people, cyclonic storm Jawad is likely to reach the Odisha coast on December 4. The state government has chalked out a disaster management strategy by requisitioning NDRF, ODRAF, and fire department personnel for rescue and relief operations.
The Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday predicted that the low-pressure area in the south Andaman Sea will intensify into a depression and move towards the coast as a cyclonic storm on December 4. The Coast Guard has initiated extensive pre-emptive measures in the eastern coast keeping it in view.
The Coast Guard Disaster Relief Teams (DRTs) with inflatable boats, lifebuoys, and life jackets are on standby for disaster response operations. Medical teams and ambulances have been kept ready for swift mobilization, it said. The district authorities in some places are asking farmers over the public address system to harvest their ripe paddy crops.
Fishermen have been advised to not venture into the southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal on December 2 and 3, into west-central and adjoining the northwest Bay of Bengal, and along and off North Andhra Pradesh – Odisha – West Bengal coasts from December 3 to 5.
The sea condition is likely to be very rough with the squally wind speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph, gusting to 65 kmph on December 3. The wind speed is likely to reach 80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph on December 4 morning, an advisory issued by him said. No immediate warning has been issued to the ports so far.
The IMD said that the low-pressure area brewing over the south Andaman Sea and the adjoining area will intensify into a depression and take the shape of a cyclonic storm around December 3.
The system will move northwestwards and reach north Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coast around December 4 morning.
“Though it is clear that the cyclonic storm will approach the Odisha coast, it is too immature to say where it will make landfall and other details. However, under its impact, several coastal districts of Odisha will experience light to moderate rainfall from December 3. South Odisha districts may also experience heavy rainfall on December 3,” India Meteorological Department director-general Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.
He said that there is also a possibility that the cyclonic storm may change its path after reaching near the coast. It is likely to move in a north-northeast direction and may not cross the coast. "Or, it may cross the Odisha coast and later move towards West Bengal." However, in both cases Odisha will experience rainfall activities, he said.
The IMD has issued a red warning (heavy to very heavy rainfall) in Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur districts.
Orange warning, which indicates less intensity than the red warning, has been issued in Kendrapara, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, and Koraput districts for December 4 after the cyclonic storm reaches near the coast. It also issued a yellow warning indicating heavy rainfall in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, and Malkangiri districts on the same day.
The weather office also issued a rainfall warning on December 5 and said several parts of Odisha will experience a maximum wind speed of 90 kmph from December 4 morning for 12 hours and rainfall.
(With PTI Inputs)
