Mission Zero Casualty: Odisha Govt to Evacuate People from Low-lying Areas

Bhubaneswar:  In view of cyclone Jawad that is taking shape in Bay of Bengal, Odisha government has asked district administrations of coastal districts to evacuate people living in kutcha houses and low lying areas, an official said on Friday.

Briefing mediapersons about here, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said, “We have asked the district administrations to evacuate people living in kutcha houses and low lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda (Chilika area), Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Niali area of Cuttack district.”

With the help of local volunteer organisations and elected representatives, the BDO, Tehsildar and police officials will be engaged in the evacuation process, Jena said.

The evacuation process will start from this afternoon and will end by midday tomorrow. The people will be shifted to a safer building including cyclone centres in nearby areas, he said.

“However, we have not issued a blanket evacuation as the expected wind speed to be 90-100 kilometers per hour with gusting 100 kmph. Maximum people will be evacuated from the villages located close to the coast,” the SRC informed.

As per the morning bulletin of IMD, he said, the deep depression lay centered over the west central and adjoining south Bay of Bengal near about 580 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 670 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 760 km south-southwest of Paradip (Odisha).

The cyclone will take a re-curve and is likely to hit northern parts of Puri district, Jena said, adding, the coastal areas of Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara are likely to experience the impact of the cyclone. He advised people of the likely impacted area to remain indoors and not to visit the seaside.

The SRC further informed that all fishermen have been returned from the sea and no one will enter into the sea till the sea condition normalises. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), fire service personnel are being deployed in the likely impacted districts, he added.

Meanwhile, the state government has cancelled the weekly holiday this Sunday (December 4) in view of the impending cyclone Jawad, officials said.

(IANS)