Kolkata/Puri/Visakhapatnam, December 4
The governments of Andhra and Odisha breathed easy after Cyclone Jawad weakened significantly on Saturday, even though heavy rain pelted both states as well as West Bengal.
The news that the cyclonic storm ‘Jawad’ had weakened significantly came as a relief for Odisha, a state already battered by two cyclones—‘Gulab’ and ‘Yaas’—in the last year.
The entire coastal region of Odisha has been experiencing rainfall since Friday night. Paradip recorded the maximum downpour at 68 mm followed by Bhubaneswar (10.4) mm in the last 12 hours, the met office said.
On the wind speed of ‘Jawad’, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said the system is likely to rub the coast in Odisha near Puri with a sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.
Jena said the state government has asked district officials to evacuate people living in vulnerable houses and low-lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Niali area of Cuttack district from Saturday.
However, there will be no blanket evacuation as the expected wind speed is low in comparison to other cyclones, he said.
Jena said nearly 22,700 fishing boats have already returned from the sea and the Chilika lake.
“We have also asked the district collectors to shelter fishing boats from Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, which are unable to return to their destination within the stipulated time,” the SRC said, adding, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till December 5.
Andhra Pradesh’s government said a teenager was killed as heavy rain lashed Andhra’s Srikakulam district on Saturday. Over 60 relief centres have been opened to lodge people from vulnerable areas, the state government said.
Though the weather remained overcast, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts did not experience much rain, data provided by the state government said.
Srikakulam district, however, received a downpour of over 11 cm, with the Tekkali revenue division recording the maximum of up to 5.7 cm at isolated places.
In Vajrapukothuru mandal, heavy winds uprooted a coconut tree that fell on a teenager Gorakala Indu (16), killing him instantly.
State Fisheries Minister Sidiri Appala Raju, who hails from the district, visited the victim’s family in the Palasa hospital and promised all help.
The Srikakulam district administration opened 65 relief centres where a few hundred people from vulnerable areas were lodged.
The Fisheries Minister visited relief camps in Palasa town and later oversaw the sanitation works.
District Collector L Srikesh Balaji visited Santabommali mandal and inspected the relief camps and the food being provided to the accommodated persons.
He asked them to be cautious and stay indoors till the storm subsided.
The South Central Railway cancelled more than 60 Express trains on the east coast route on Saturday and Sunday in view of the cyclonic storm.
The West Bengal government evacuated thousands of people in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts and urged tourists in popular sea resorts to stay away from beaches, as a significantly weakened cyclone ‘Jawad’ headed toward Odisha.
Several places in the metropolis, North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Howrah and Hooghly districts received light rainfall since morning, the weather office said.
“‘Jawad’ moved slightly northwards with a speed of 4 kmph during the past six hours and lay centered about 230 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatanam (Andhra Pradesh), 340 km south of Gopalpur (Odisha), 410 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha) and 490 km south-southwest of Paradip (Odisha) at 5.30 am,” the IMD said in a bulletin.
The administration in South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts evacuated around 11,000 people from the coastal areas to safer locations, while boats with fishermen returned in Kakdwip, Digha, Shankarpur and other coastal belts, an official said.
“The system is likely to move north-northwestwards and reach west-central Bay of Bengal and thereafter is likely to recurve north-northeastwards, move along Odisha coast reaching near Puri around December 5 noon, and weaken gradually,” a met office spokesman said.
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