Bhubaneswar: Cyclonic storm "Phailin", classified as "very severe", is heading for coastal Odisha and Andhra Pradesh at wind speeds averaging 200 km per hour and is expected to hit the states on Saturday evening. Some weathermen are describing it as potentially India's version of 'hurricane Katrina', one of the deadliest storms in US history.
Here are the latest updates
- Experts say the wind speed is at 200 to 210 km per hour
and is expected to touch 230 km per hour when the cyclone hits the
coasts of Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh tomorrow.
- 'It is not a super-cyclone yet but moving towards that," said the Indian Meteorological Department chief LS Rathore.
- Five
districts are preparing for the worst impact of the cyclone: Srikakulam
in Andhra Pradesh and Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Jagatsinghapur in
Odisha.
- Andhra Pradesh Minister Raghuveera Reddy said
64,000 people are being evacuated from Srikakulam, Vizag and
Vizianagaram and shifted to cyclone shelters.
- Defence
Minister AK Antony has asked the Army, Navy and Air Force to be ready
for emergency and relief operations. Two Air Force aircraft are at
Bhubaneswar, ready to airlift disaster management teams and equipment.
Others aircraft are also in stand-by.
- Odisha's
Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patra told NDTV, "We are
fighting against nature. We are better prepared this time, we learnt a
lot from 1999." Nearly 15,000 people died in the super-cyclone that hit
Odisha in 1999.
- There is heavy rainfall in parts of
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. People along the coasts in Odisha are also
being moved to storm shelters. "The first priority will be to save
people's lives, ensure food and electricity," said the Odisha minister.
- Government holidays have been cancelled for the next month in both states.
- Thousands
of employees from the Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh, who were on
strike to protest against the Centre's decision to split the state, have
returned to work for now due to the cyclone emergency.
- Large parts of the 13 districts of Seemandhra had been without power for six days because of the strike.