Indian and Bangladesh authorities raced to complete the evacuation of more than one million people out of the path of an extreme cyclone heading towards the Bay of Bengal coast with winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.
Major airports were closed in India’s eastern states of Odisha and West Bengal and the railway network virtually closed down ahead of the arrival of Extremely Severe Cyclone Fani – expected to be the biggest storm to hit the region in more than two decades – on Friday morning.
More than one million people in the two states have been ordered to leave their homes and the Bangladesh government separately issued evacuation orders for 19 coastal districts and put the army on standby.
The Indian meteorological department is predicting Fani will hit the coast near the Hindu holy city of Puri by about 0400 GMT in Odisha and then sweep up into West Bengal and reach Bangladesh on Saturday, gradually weakening.
It said a storm surge of about 1.5 metres could hit Odisha and flood low-lying areas where in 1999 10,000 people were killed by a cyclone.
 |
| Tropical system threatens flooding across northwestern parts of the Bay of Bengal. [AFP] |
Forecasters have warned of the “total destruction” of thatched houses, the uprooting of power and communication poles, the “flooding of escape routes” and damage to crops in some areas.
A state relief department official told AFP that 780,000 people were moved to safer ground by Thursday.
Some 1,000 shelters have been set up in schools and government buildings to accommodate more than a million people.
Bishnupada Sethi, special relief commissioner for Odisha, which has a population of 45 million in all, told AFP news agency that one million people would have to be moved by the time the storm hits.
Hundreds of thousands more in West Bengal have also been given evacuation orders. Special teams went through holiday villages urging tourists to move to safety.
“We have heard that the cyclone has turned towards Bengal and it will also hit Kolkata. But people should not panic unnecessarily. All precautionary steps are being taken to prevent any loss of life,” Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim told reporters.
UPDATE: Cyclone #Fani is making landfall right now near Puri, India as a Category 4 — one of the strongest landfalling cyclones in the country’s recorded history. pic.twitter.com/TDfalErBJR
— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) May 3, 2019
It was predicted to pack sustained wind speeds of 180-190 kph and gusts up to 200 kph, equivalent in strength to a Category 3 to 4 hurricane.
More than 200 train services have been cancelled along coastal routes, according to Indian Railways. Three special trains were running however from Puri to evacuate pilgrims and tourists.
Flights have been cancelled in and out of Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar and Kolkata in West Bengal until at least Saturday.
Heavy rain was already falling when hotels, schools and government offices started closing. At one Puri hotel visited by AFP all 175 rooms were ordered emptied, causing a wedding party to be cut short.
Measures were also being taken to protect the eight and a half century old Jagannath temple in the city.
Dozens of officials made announcements on megaphones across the coastal belt telling residents to flee their homes. State authorities also sent out mass SMS text messages to residents.
Ports have been closed but the Indian Navy has sent six warships to the region while India’s biggest oil and gas producer ONGC evacuated almost 500 workers from offshore rigs.
from news Viral City http://bit.ly/2DLUTyb
0 Comments