The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday ruled out the possibility of Cyclone Fani making landfall along the shores of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. However, the possibility of landfall in Odisha is under continuous watch, the Met department said in a press release.
As of Monday morning, the cyclonic storm is located 880 km south-east of the Chennai coast and will move in the northwest direction until it is expected to change its path to the northeast on May 1.
Units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert at the disposal of state government authorities.
The IMD on Sunday issued a warning of heavy rains in Andhra Pradesh on April 30 as the cyclone was changing its direction and moving towards the north-northeast.
Due to heavy rain warning in isolated areas of north coastal Andhra, a 24x7 control room has been opened at the collector’s office in Visakhapatnam with a toll-free no.1800-425-00002. Also, officials have warned fishermen not to venture into the sea and alerted those who are at sea to return.
The Prime Minister is personally monitoring the situation and has directed the Cabinet Secretary to convene a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) with the concerned agencies and state governments to deal with any situation, the release said.