Tropical cyclone Fani packed up with wind speed of 250 Km per hour is all set to hit the coasts of Odisha. Fani is located in the Bay of Bengal that has expected to make a landfall on Friday. The neighbouring coastal states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have also been put on high alert.

India has begun the evacuation of 800,000 people and deployed emergency personnel as the country’s east coast braces for a severe cyclonic storm.

The state’s authorities said they hoped to have evacuated 800,000 people from the state’s coastal districts by Thursday morning. HR Biswas, director of the meteorological centre in state capital Bhubaneshwar, said at least 11 districts would be affected by severe rainfall.

Odisha has also moved in thousands of disaster management personnel to help those living in mud-and-thatch homes in low-lying areas take shelter from Fani.

“We are making best efforts to inform them about the cyclone and move these vulnerable people to cyclone shelters,” Bishnupada Sethi, the state’s special relief commissioner, said. 

India’s national disaster management authority (NDMA) said sea conditions were “phenomenal” over the west-central Bay of Bengal area.

Authorities at ports in Paradip and Visakhapatnam ordered ships to move out to sea to avoid damage and considering the same 81 trains have been cancelled.

“Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas,” NDMA warned on Twitter.

The office of the state’s special relief commissioner said local authorities had been told to identify “all vulnerable people and shift them to multipurpose cyclone/flood shelters”.

“Arrangements have already been made for free kitchen, safe drinking water, lighting, health and sanitation,” it said in a statement.

Local media reports say there are more than 850 shelters in the state that can accommodate around one million people. “We have suggested people to stay indoors,” he told reporters.

The coastal town of Puri, home to Shree Jagannath, one of Hinduism’s holiest temples, which receives millions of pilgrims each year 62 kms (40 miles) from Bhubaneshwar, has also been placed on high alert.

The government also advised the pilgrims to leave the holy town, if possible, and to reschedule any non-essential travel in the region.

India’s weather department warned of “potential threat of flying objects. Extensive uprooting of communication and power poles. Disruption of rail, road”.

One local agency said that it had kept around 300 boats and crew on standby for rescue or relief work in the next 48 to 72 hours. Odisha had to evacuate some 300,000 people last October when its coastal districts were battered by cyclone Titli, with winds up to 150 kms (95 miles) per hour and heavy rains. At least two people were killed in the cyclone.

  Cyclone, India, Odisha, rainfall