BHUBANESWAR: As super cyclone Amphan tempered down into an extremely severe cyclonic storm and moved closer to Odisha coast, the State Government evacuated over one lakh people from low lying and vulnerable areas to pucca shelters by Tuesday evening. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena said more than one lakh people have been evacuated and the process is till on. Evacuation exercise is also being undertaken in some areas of Gajapati district in view of possible landslides, he said.
The SRC urged people of low lying areas to move into cyclone shelters and not to leave till Wednesday afternoon as the wind speed was likely to increase anytime after Tuesday midnight. The State Government had planned to evacuate around 12 lakh people from the six vulnerable districts on Monday after Amphan took shape of a monster super cyclone.
On Tuesday, it weakened into an extremely severe cyclonic storm, prompting the Government to reassess its movement and recalibrate its strategy. As per IMD forecast, no abnormal storm surge is expected to occur due to the cyclone in Odisha. Under its impact, light rain was witnessed in several areas of Puri, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Khurda districts and the intensity of rainfall and wind speed was likely to increase gradually, Jena said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during the day and discussed Odisha’s preparedness to tackle the situation. He assured all help to the State to deal with the storm and its aftermath. The SRC said 15 units of National Disaster Response Force and 15 teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force have been deployed in the districts likely to be hit.
“We are in constant touch with the Collectors of 12 districts which have been put under alert in view of the cyclone. We are fully prepared to deal with any eventuality,” he said. Jena said all fishermen along with boats and vessels have already returned from the seas. They have been advised not to venture out for fishing activities till May 21. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba also discussed with Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy on the State’s preparedness to deal with the cyclone. He assured all assistance to the State for dealing with the situation.