[image: Indian Navy personnel, like these pictured providing assistanceafter a flood in 2018, are on standby as the nation braces for the severeTropical Cyclone Fani (AFP Photo/)]
NEW DELHI – India deployed emergency personnel Wednesday and ordered thenavy on standby as it braced for an extremely severe cyclonic stormbarrelling towards the eastern coast.
Tropical Cyclone Fani, located in the Bay of Bengal and packing wind speedsup to 205 kilometres (127 miles) per hour, is expected to make landfall atOdisha state Friday.
Authorities have also ordered the evacuation of thousands of people fromcoastal districts likely to bear the brunt of the storm.
The neighbouring coastal states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have alsobeen put on a high alert.
India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said sea conditionswere “phenomenal” over the west-central Bay of Bengal area.
“Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas,” NDMA warned onTwitter.
The office of the state’s special relief commissioner said localauthorities had been told to identify “all vulnerable people… and shiftthem to multipurpose cyclone/flood shelters”.
“Arrangements have already been made for free kitchen, safe drinking water,lighting, health and sanitation,” it said in a statement.
Local media reports say there are over 850 shelters in the state that canaccommodate around one million people.
H.R Biswas, director of the meteorological centre in state capitalBhubaneshwar, said at least 11 districts would be affected by severerainfall.
“We have suggested people to stay indoors,” he told reporters.
Coastal Puri town, some 62 kms (40 miles) from Bhubaneshwar, has also beenput a high alert.
Puri is home to Shree Jagannath, one of Hinduism’s holiest temples, whichreceives millions of pilgrims each year.
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The government also advised the pilgrims to leave the holy town, ifpossible, and to reschedule any non-essential travel in the region.
India’s weather department, in an advisory, asked all fishermen in thestate to return to shore by late Wednesday.
The department warned of “potential threat of flying objects … Extensiveuprooting of communication and power poles …Disruption of rail, road”.
One local agency said that it had kept around 300 boats and crew on standbyfor rescue or relief work in the next 48 to 72 hours.
India’s election commission has eased its restrictions in Odisha’s coastaldistricts to allow the state authorities to carry out swift relief andrehabilitation work.
The rules, which apply during elections, suspend certain powers of theincumbent government to announce new schemes or take fresh administrativedecisions.
Odisha, which has a population of around 46 million, has already voted inIndia’s ongoing election, which started on April 11.
The seventh and final phase of voting will be held on May 19, with countingand results due May 23.
Odisha had to evacuate some 300,000 people last October when its coastaldistricts were battered by cyclone Titli, with winds up to 150 kms (95miles) per hour and heavy rains.
At least two people were killed in the cyclone.
Storms regularly hit eastern and southeastern India between April andDecember. In 2017, Cyclone Ockhi left nearly 250 people dead in Tamil Naduand Kerala states.
Odisha’s worst-ever cyclone, in 1999, killed over 8,000 people. -APP/AFP
