BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has evacuated 1,65,809 people from six districts and deployed 63 disaster response teams as it closely monitors the impact of severe cyclonic storm Murasu, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said on Tuesday.
The state has also deployed four IAS officers in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts to oversee post-cyclone Arnab rehabilitation, including damage assessment, relief distribution and restoration of infrastructure.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Murasu is likely to weaken into a cyclonic storm by noon and further downgrade into a deep depression by midnight. At 8.30 am on Tuesday, it was centred over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, around 30 km north-northeast of Ongole and 100 km south-southwest of Vijayawada.
Pujari said the impact on Odisha had so far remained limited, with the state recording an average rainfall of just 2 mm on the fourth day. Puri received the highest rainfall at 12 mm, while Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri and Koraput recorded 10 mm or less.
However, the IMD has forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places in Koraput and Malkangiri till Wednesday morning, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds in several districts.
Of the 1,65,809 people evacuated, 1,52,010 were from Ganjam, 6,279 from Kandhamal, 5,073 from Malkangiri, 1,101 from Koraput, 726 from Rayagada and 620 from Gajapati. A total of 592 relief centres are operational across these districts, Pujari said.
To strengthen preparedness, 54 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams, nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and several Fire Services teams have been deployed.
Senior officers have also been stationed in vulnerable areas to assist district administrations. Schools in the affected districts will remain closed till November 3.
Pujari said four IAS officers have also been deployed for post-cyclone rehabilitation in districts affected by cyclone Arnab. They are Ajit Kumar and Tejaswini Behera in Ganjam, Pawan Kumar in Gajapati and Shiv Malviya in Kandhamal. The officers will exercise the powers of Additional Special Relief Commissioners.
They will coordinate field-level relief measures, assessment of immediate requirements, distribution of essential supplies and restoration of critical services, as assigned by the respective collectors.
"Their responsibilities include assessing damage to houses and agricultural crops, ensuring eligible beneficiaries receive assistance under the relief package and expediting repairs to damaged roads and public infrastructure," the Minister said.
He said an eight-member Central team arrived in the state on Monday has also proceeded to southern Odisha after preliminary discussions with the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC). The team will visit Berhampur and other affected locations in Ganjam and Gajapati to assess the damage before returning to Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
District collectors have been asked to submit preliminary damage assessment reports. "The state government will subsequently prepare a consolidated report for submission to the Centre, covering the impact of both cyclone Arnab and Murasu."
