Cyclone Fani, a severe cyclonic storm, made landfall impact on Friday, May 3, 2019 around 8.00 a.m. south of Puri on the Odisha coast. The entire process is expected to happen over the next two hours. The Odisha government on Thursday evacuated over 11 lakh people from low-lying areas in 15 districts.
MHA Control Room Helpline Number- 1938 becomes operational to provide latest updates.
Inputs from reporters in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha , IMD, PTI
CFTRI to send food to cyclone-hit Odisha
The city-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) is set prepare nearly 1 lakh meals for distribution in the cyclone ravaged areas of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. CFTRI sources said the effort is being led by Dr. K.S.M.S. Raghavarao, Director, along with nearly 1,000 students and staff. In the past, CFTRI has sent food and relief material to Kerala during the floods.
Extensive damage to Bhubaneswar airport
Bhubaneswar airport suffered "extensive" damage on Thursday due to cyclonic storm Fani, including damage to navigational aids, passenger terminal building and Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, according to Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Guruprasad Mohaptra. "A large part of the perimeter wall has caved-in, glass roofing panel of our terminal building and ATC tower has been damaged and there are debris on the runway as well...," Mr. Mohapatra said.
EC takes all measures to protect strongrooms storing EVMs
With cyclone Fani barreling its way to West Bengal from Odisha, the Election Commission has taken all measures to protect strongrooms where EVMs and VVPATs have been stored, a senior EC official said Friday. “We have spoken to the district magistrate of the seven Lok Sabha constituencies and also had a detailed discussion with other officials of the EC regarding measures to protect the strongrooms in view of the cyclone,” the EC official told reporters.
Extensive devastation observed around Puri
The Naval Dornier Aircraft deployed to carry out aerial survey of Odisha to assess the impact of the Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘FANI’ crossing coast near Puri, observed extensive devastation to vegetation in many places around Puri.
A large number of trees and electric poles were found uprooted creating road blocks in the city limits of Puri. Roof top of Puri Railway Station was found to be blow off. Large scale water inundation was observed in many, particularly in low lying areas between Puri and Chilka Lake.
The Dornier crew observed very strong winds of nearly 50 knots during the sortie. The footage of the aerial survey is being shared with the State Administration officials for planning relief and rehabilitation activities.
Cyclone Fani sends people home early, Kolkata wears deserted look
The main business districts of Kolkata wore a deserted look by Friday afternoon as the fear of devastation by the severe cyclonic storm Fani sent the people to the safety of their homes.
People who had gone out for work in the morning wrapped up their schedule as fast as possible, while many schools declared a holiday.
The met department has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in most places of south Bengal, with extremely heavy falls at one or two places.
The wind velocity is likely to touch 60 km per hour in the city and adjoining districts on Friday, the weatherman said.
Gale wind speed reaching 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 115 kmph is very likely along and off West Bengal coast from midnight, while in the interior parts the wind speed may reach upto 80 kmph, according to the Met department.
Eastern and South Eastern Railway cancelled several trains to prevent any injury to passengers or damage to railway property.
“As a precautionary measure keeping in view the safety of passengers, SER’s EMU service will run as per Sunday’s schedule on May 3,” its spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said
Besides nine other up and 10 down EMU locals will also remain cancelled.
Eastern Railway cancelled several EMU locals in its Sealdah south section from 3 pm to Friday midnight and planned to suspend operations from midnight till 6 am Saturday in the section, its spokesman Nikhil Chakraborty said.
Many offices in the city called it a day by early afternoon allowing employees to leave office early.
HSBC Bank closed its branches in Kolkata at 12.30 pm in view of the potential impact of Cyclone Fani.
Police made regular announcements in the city and adjoining districts asking people to stay indoors and measures to be taken in case of emergency.
Tourists have already left the seaside tourist towns of Digha, Mandarmoni, Shankarpur, Tajpur, Talsari, Bakkhali and Sagar Islands on the advise of the Met department and the West Bengal administration’s directive.
The Met department has advised people in affected areas to remain indoors apprehending damage to property and people from the fury of the cyclone.
Another blow for Srikakulam district
Fani has turned out to be another blow for Srikakulam district which had witnessed unprecedented damage with the impact of Titli cyclone in the month of October, 2018.
Both private and government properties worth of ₹38.43 crore got damaged due to cyclonic storm Fani. Compared to cyclone Titli, the damage is relatively less this time say officials. Due to cyclonic storm Fani, horticulture crops such as coconut, cashew, banana and others were damaged in 1030 acres. Paddy, maize and other crops were damaged in 2100 acres in the district.
Around 162 houses are collapsed and loss is estimated to be ₹51.25 lakh. The initial estimation of loss is around ₹20 crore although the government had estimated only ₹4 crore loss to the crops. Enumeration teams will visit cyclone affected areas on Saturday and Sunday to assess the damage and submit a detailed report to the government which would in turn announce the compensation to the farmers.
Civic property such as roads, street lights, canals, water pipe lines got damaged in several mandals including at Itchapuram, Kaviti, Kanchili, Tekkali and other places. Heavy down pour and gales which moved with a speed of 140 km caused untold miseries to the people. Many vehicles were stranded on National Highway connecting Chennai-Kolkata with the fall of age old trees on national highway. The situation was horrible in state highways and Panchayat roads. Srikakulam District Fire Officer Ch.Kripavaram said that 44 tree cutting and relief teams had continuously worked to remove uprooted trees. “Our recent experience in Titli helped us to monitor the relief operations quickly in remote areas. Now, vehicle movement is as usual,” he added.
With the association of senior IAS officers and former Collectors KS Jawahar Reddy and K.Dhananjaya Reddy, Srikakulam Collector J.Niwas and Joint Collector KVN Chakradhar Babu monitored the relief operations in cyclone affected areas. Parvatipuram ITDA Project Officer G. Lakshmi Sha and Sithampeta ITDA Project Officer L. Siva Sankar also monitored the situation in the district. “The situation is absolutely under control. There was no human loss. It is a major relief for the people as well as adminsitration,” said Mr. Niwas while speaking to media.
Access cut off to Odisha Raj Bhavan
As Fani devastates the capital city, access to the Raj Bhavan, the State Assembly and the offices of various department heads have all been cut off by felled trees blocking the roads.
Fani batters AIIMS Bhubaneswar unit, rips off hostel roof
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) unit on Friday reported extensive damage hours after the Category 4 Cyclone Fani made landfall on the Odisha coast wreaking havoc and leaving a trail of destruction.
“Extensive damage to structure of AIIMS Bhubaneswar reported. All patients, staff, students safe. Many water tanks have blown off,lighting poles are down, air-conditioners damaged. We have enough supplies, ready to support the state,” said Health Secretary Preeti Sudan.
In several videos doing rounds on social media, several showed the impact of the powerful gales and heavy rain after Fani hit around 10 a.m.
The roof of a building at AIIMS Bhubaneswar was seen being ripped off in one such video clip that was tweeted by the government’s media department, villages submerged and trees and electricity poles uprooted.
In the other videos posted by Sitangshu Kar, the Director General of the Press Information Bureau, the roof of an undergraduate hostel in the Bhubaneswar AIIMS was seen being blown off.
- IANS
Bhubaneswar bears the brunt of the storm
Cyclone Fani continued to wreak havoc on Friday morning, after making landfall in Odisha, with capital Bhubaneswar bearing the brunt of it.
The storm showed no sign of receding, leaving denizens in a state of panic.
Hundreds of trees were uprooted, even as fire service personnel and members of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force struggled to make a move due to the heavy rain and winds.
Low-lying areas flooded, and roadside kioks were found upside down. A crane installed at the premises of a high-rise building that was under construction near the Raghanathpur area collapsed. The failure of telecom services also added to the chaos.
Two killed in Odisha
Two people died on Friday said the Special Relief Commissioner.
“I can confirm two deaths for now. One old man in one of the shelters died because of (a) heart attack. Another person went out in the storm despite our warnings and died because a tree fell on him,” Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told AFP . - AFP
The Ministry of Home Affairs has operationalised Helpline Number 1938 for cyclone Fani, the Ministry's official twitter account tweeted.
The National Disaster Management Authority has also sent out a list of district-wise control room numbers.
| Angul | 06764-230980 |
| Balasore | 06782-262286 - 262647 |
| Baragarh | 06646-232112 |
| Bhadrak | 06784-251881 |
| Bolangir | 06652-232452 - 230969 |
| Boudh | 06841 - 222023 |
| Cuttack | 0671 - 2507842 9337419494 |
| Deogarh | 06641-226843 |
| Dhenkanal | 06762-226507 -221376 |
| Gajapathi | 06815-222943 |
| Ganjam | 06811-263978 |
| Jagatsinghpur | 06724-220368 |
| Jajpur | 06728-222648 |
| Jharsuguda | 06645-272902 -271692 |
| Kalahandi | 06670-230455 |
| Kandhamal | 06842-253650 -255602 |
| Kendrapara | 06727-232803 |
| Keonjhar | 06766-255437 |
| Khurda | 06755-220002 |
| Koraput | 06852-251381 |
| Malkangiri | 06861-230442 - 231372 |
| Mayurbhanj | 06792-252759 |
| Nawarangapur | 06858-222434 |
| Nayagarh | 06753-252978 |
| Nuapada | 06678-225357 |
| Puri | 06752-223237 |
| Rayagada | 06856-224062 -224082 |
| Sambalpur | 0663-2412407 |
| Subarnapur | 06654-220362 |
| Sundargarh | 06622-272233 |
Extensive damage to power infra, standing trees
The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani hit Odisha coast near Puri on Friday morning, causing extensive damage to power infrastructure, thatched houses and standing trees.
One person died in Kendrapara district while several others were injured in five districts including Puri, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur, Ganjam and Kendrapara. One woman died at Debendranarayanpur in Kendrapara district.
Navy to conduct aerial survey
People come out of their homes wading through rainwater and fallen trees at Kaviti in Srikakulam district of AP after cyclone Fani made a landfall near Puri on Friday, May 3, 2019
Indian Navy P8I and Dornier aircraft are scheduled to be launched in the afternoon for undertaking aerial surveys to assess the extent of impact and devastation post Fani crossing the coast.
Wildlife sanctuaries such as Nalabana Bird Sanctuary, Balukhanda Wildlife Sanctuary, Nandankanan Zoological Park and Bhitarakanika Wildlife Sanctuaries were hit by the storm. Detailed reports about extent of damage are being awaited.
Trains cancelled, flights suspended in Kolkata
The following trains, leaving the originating station, on May 3, are cancelled:
May 3 - Train no. 22416 New Delhi - Visakhapatnam Express.
May 3 - 12808 Hazrat Nizamuddin – Visakhapatnam Express.
May 4 - 22884 Yesvantpur Jn. – Howrah Express
May 6 - Train no. 22818 Mysuru Jn. – Yesvantpur express
Train no. 11019 Mumbai CSTM - Bhubaneswar express, which arrived in Visakhapatnam on Thursday night has been short terminated and service between Visakhapatnam – Bhubaneswar has been cancelled.
This train will return as a special from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai CSTM with the timings and stoppages of 11020 Konark express to clear passengers stranded on Friday night.
Train no. 22879 Bhubaneswar - Tirupati Express, leaving Bhubaneswar on May 4, which was previously cancelled, will run on the same day in its normal route.
Also, there will be no flights to and from Kolkata airport between 3 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday, the DGCA has said.
Extremely severe cyclonic storm 25 km south of Bhubaneswar
As of 10.30 a.m. on Friday, the extremely severe cyclonic storm lay centered near Lat. 20.00N and Long. 85.80E over the Odisha coast about 20 km to the north of Puri and 25 km to the south of Bhubaneswar. The current wind speed is between 165-175 kmph gusting to 190 kmph, the PIB tweeted. It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and weaken into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 3 hours.
Severe thunderstorm forecast for Odisha
Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar issued a brief at 10 a.m. giving the forecast between 10.30 to 12.30 p.m. Severe thunderstorm with intense rainfall expected all over.
1) Gale wind speed reaching 140 to 150 kmph gusting to 165 kmph likely over the districts of Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsingpur.
2) Gale wind speed reaching 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 115 kmph likely to occur over the districts of khorda (including Bhubaneswar), Kendrapada, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak, Balasore and Nayagadh.
3) Squally wind speed reaching 60 to 70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph likely to occur over the districts of Angul, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and adjoining districts.
Video shows fury of Fani
Odisha: Woman dies while being shifted to shelter
A woman died while being shifted to a cyclone shelter in Debendranarayanpur, a seaside village in Kendrapara district in Odisha. Vehicular movement to the coastal town of Puri was disrupted due to uprooting of roadside trees.
Heavy wind is causing severe damage to trees across the capital Bhubaneswar.
Likely to weaken to 'very severe' cyclonic storm within 6 hours
The 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm is likely to move north-northeastwards and weaken into a 'very severe' cyclonic storm over the next 6 hours, according to IMD.
Fani crossed Odisha coast between 8.00-10.00 a.m.: IMD
The eye of the cyclone completely moved into land by 10.00 a.m and the cyclone crossed the Odisha coast close to Puri between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., according to IMD.
No threat to Vizianagaram, says Collector
Fishermen at sea near Mukkam village of Vizianagaram district after Cyclone Fani headed towards the Odisha coast, May 3, 2019
Vizianagaram Collector M.Hari Jawaharlal on Friday said that there would not be much threat to Vizianagaram district. He said the Indian Meteorological Department had revised its prediction and lowered the intensity of gale speed and rainfall. Speaking to The Hindu on Friday morning, he said the control rooms in all 34 mandals would continue till the complete normalcy was restored.
"We asked all the officials to send the reports about the damage in their respective areas. Then, we will take necessary steps," he added. According to him, cyclone relief centers in Bhogapuram, Pusapati Rega and other mandals would continue for the next couple of days since the sea was rough at the coastal belt. He said that traffic will be allowed to move on the national highway within the jurisdiction of Vizianagaram.
Meanwhile, Srikakulam district Collector J. Nivas has said that Fani has crossed over to Odisha without causing much damage or loss of life in AP. He however warns of floods in Bahuda and Vamsadhara Rivers which will go into spate with rain water from Odisha.
Trees uprooted in Bhubaneswar
The Odisha capital Bhubaneswar also experienced the impact of the cyclone, with several trees uprooted in the city. Heavy to very heavy rainfall continues in Ganjam, Puri, Khurda and Jagastinghpur districts. Trees have been uprooted at several places in the region.
Trees were uprooted along the Bhubaneswar-Puri road, resulting in disruption in vehicular movement. Personnel of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Fire Services were immediately pressed into service to clear road blockades.
Cooked food is being being served to people who have taken shelter in cyclone shelters. About 5000 kitchens have started operating. A record 10.85 lakh people have been evacuated with priority to the physically challenged, women and children, according to State government officials.
Cyclone near Puri with wind speed nearly 175 kmph
A marriage mandap collapsed under the impact of the extremely severe cyclone Fani at Itchhapuram in Srikakulam district of AP, about 30 km from Gopalpur of Odisha.
Cyclone Fani is crossing the Odisha coast near Puri with wind speeds touching 175 kmph. The process of landfall to continue till noon, according to Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi. According to IMD, landfall impact began at 8.00 a.m and part of the eye lay over land at 8.30 a.m. As of 7.30 a.m., Puri reported maximum wind speeds of 142 kmph. The entire process of the eye entering land will be completed in the next two hours.
Meanwhile, in order to assist stranded passengers in Visakhapatnam and nearby areas, a special train will be run from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai CSTM with the timings and stoppages of the Konark Express (11020). The railway officials are requesting people to make use of the special train.
Cyclone 40 km from Puri at 7.30 a.m. : IMD
According to IMD Hyderabad, Fani is moving north-northeastwards with a speed of about 22 kmph over the Northwest and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal and is 40 km from Puri (Odisha), at 7.30 a.m. It is likely to move north-northeastwards and cross Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of Puri during forenoon with maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180 kmph gusting to 200 kmph.
After the landfall, the system is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards, weaken gradually and emerge into Gangetic West Bengal as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with wind speeds of 90-100 kmph gusting to 115 kmph by early morning of May 4. It is very likely to move further north-northeastwards and emerge into Bangladesh on May 4 evening as a Cyclonic Storm with wind speed 60-70 Kmph gusting to 80 Kmph.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has tweeted that as of 6.30 a.m. IST, the cyclone is about 70 km south-southwest of Puri. To cross Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali close to Puri during 0800-1100 IST.
No major damage at Vizag, Srikakulam
Barring stray incidents of wall collapse and uprooting of trees, electric poles, no major damage was reported at Srikakulam. According to Collector J. Nivas, the district bordering Odisha recorded 2399 mm rainfall from Thursday 8.30 a.m. to Friday 4 a.m. In Visakhapatnam, there was no effect of rain or high-speed winds since the early hours of Friday.
‘Fani’ likely to cross south of Puri at 8.30 am
Cyclone Fani: Scene near Chilika Lake near Satapada, 65 km from Puri, Odisha, May 3, 2019
Fani is likely to cross south of Puri at 8.30 am and the landfall process will continue till noon. The current wind speed of the cyclone is 185-195 kmph gusting up to 205 kmph. The cyclone lay-centred at about 70 km south-southwest of Puri, 65 km southeast of Gopalpur. Hundreds of trees were uprooted in Balgoan, adjacent to Chilika Lake.
Click here to read Thursday's updates.
Rainfall in Vizianagaram district
Vizianagaram district witnessed significant rainfall from early hours of Friday. There may not be a threat to the district as IMD anticipated that gales would move below 100 kmph. Previously, it said the gales with a speed of 250 kmph would move. People suffered power outage for the whole night.
Cyclone Fani: Odisha evacuates over 11 lakh
With the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani expected to cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of Puri town, on Friday morning, the State government on Thursday evacuated over 11 lakh people from low-lying areas in 15 districts.
Flight operations from the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar was suspended from Thursday night for the next 24 hours. Educational institutions in the coastal districts were closed till further orders.
As many as 25 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) along with State fire service personnel have been deployed in the coastal districts. Defence forces were on high alert to meet any eventuality.
Around 10,000 villages spread over 14 districts such as Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balasore and Mayurbhanj are likely to be affected.
The West Bengal government on Thursday advanced the summer holidays for State-run schools.
Fani’s impact is likely to be felt in Purba and Paschim Medinipur, North and South 24 Parganas and Kolkata.
The Kolkata Port Trust said shipping to the port will remain suspended.
