1317 expectant mothers from vulnerable areas across the State have been shifted to Maa Gruha & hospitals as a precautionary measure for Cyclone Fani
Our Correspondent / Agencies
With a few hours left for the cyclone to hit the coast, a massive exodus got underway in coastal Odisha as Lakhs of people left their homes in probably the largest evacuation ahead of a natural disaster in the country. Other safety measures have also been taken by the Government with zero casualty target.
Odisha government has moved more than 11 lakh people to safety and advised the public to remain indoors.
After crossing Odisha, cyclone Fani is likely to move towards West Bengal. It is also likely to impact parts of the northeast, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
There is a forecast of massive tides up to 1.5 metres and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea. Our Kolkata Correspondent reports that leaves of the Government employees in the coastal districts have cancelled.
NDRF Director-General said, 81 teams of NDRF has been deployed along the affected coastline.
The Indian Coast Guard and the Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations. Army and Air Force units in the three States have also been put on standby.
In neighbouring Bangladesh, the government has issued mass evacuation orders in 19 coastal districts to prevent casualties from the cyclone. The cyclone is expected to make landfall in Bangladesh today after hitting Indian coastlines.
Visuals of IPS Sri Pinak Mishra, @SP_BERHAMPUR requesting natives with folded hands to cooperate & move to the safe zones.
Evacuating everyone living in vulnerable low lying areas to the designated safe cyclone shelters is our top priority! #OdishaPrepared4Fani #CycloneFani pic.twitter.com/78xKxnc4F9
— Odisha Police (@odisha_police) May 2, 2019