ACT member,
Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) reports that Orissa
and Andhra Pradesh are braced for another crisis as a depression in
the Bay of Bengal, formed on Sunday morning about 650 kms off Visakhapatnam,
blew up into a severe cyclonic storm on Monday, 16 October, and is
headed towards the mainland in a west, north-westerly direction. The
Orissa and Andhra coasts are likely to be buffeted by gale strength
winds in the next 48 hours.
A cyclone warning
has been sounded for the Andhra coast and a close watch is being maintained
along the Orissa coast, though it is not certain where and when the
storm will hit. The entire coastal region in Orissa has remained cloudy
for the last 24 hours and wind speeds in Jagatsinghpur last night
touched 50-60 km per hour, but no damage has yet been reported. Heavy
rainfall has been recorded in Paradip and Puri. Ganjam district bordering
Andhra Pradesh has been put on maximum alert. Weather forecasts warn
of very heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of Srikakulam. Vizianagaram,
Visakhapatnam, east Godavari, west Godavari, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam
and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh over the next 48 hours.
The Andhra and
Orissa state governments are alerted and district officials have kept
food, medicines, vehicles and fire tenders ready. The Defence Ministry
has been requested to provide helicopters for relief and rescue operations.
Trained Home Guards, volunteers of the civil defence and NGOs are
being geared up to help the state administration.
CASA relief teams
are on full alert and the Chief Zonal Officer of East Zone is already
in Bhubaneshwar with the CASA Director on his way. Relief material
is being pre-stocked and packed ready to be loaded on trucks for immediate
movement to the areas affected. The situation report given above has
been taken from print media reports. CASA will send more first-hand
information from the field to ACT on Wednesday.
The latest information
from ACT member Lutheran World Service India Programme states that
the winds have veered in a northerly direction towards Bangladesh.
They are continuing to monitor the situation and will keep this office
informed.
