Extremely severe cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ made landfall in Puri on Odisha coast Friday morning, triggering heavy rainfall coupled with high-velocity winds with speed of 175 kmph in vast areas. Two persons were killed in this natural calamity. PM Narendra Modi announced Rs. 1,000 crore relief package for cyclone-hit areas.
Large areas in the seaside pilgrim town of Puri and other places were submerged with water as heavy rains battered the entire coastal belt of the state. Several trees were uprooted and thatched structures destroyed at some places including Bhubaneswar.
“The cyclone entered the Odisha coast at Puri around 8 am and it took around three hours for the entire landfall process to be completed,” Director of Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, H R Biswas said. He said, “The cyclonic system, whose eye is around 28 km, is moving at around 30 kmph.”
Puri and neighbouring areas are experiencing wind with a speed of 175 kilometres per hour which may go up to 200 kmph. Under the impact of the cyclone, high velocity wind is sweeping across several coastal districts like Ganjam, Puri, Khurda and Gajapati, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said.
Nearly 11 lakh people have been evacuated from vulnerable and low-lying areas of at least 11 coastal district, he said, adding the evacuees have been accommodated in over 4,000 shelters, including 880 specially designed cyclone centres. No casualty has so far been reported from any part of the state, Sethi said adding the government is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality.
