2 min readBhubaneswarOct 9, 2014 12:47 AM IST
First published on: Oct 9, 2014 at 12:47 AM IST
The weather department has warned of extensive damage in the coastal areas of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, including possible disruption of power and communication lines, due to the approaching “severe cyclonic storm”, named ‘Hudhud’, scheduled to hit eastern coast on October 12.
Wind speeds of up to 150 km per hour can be expected, resulting in heavy to very heavy rainfall, above 20 cm, at many places in southern Orissa and northern Andhra Pradesh, in the region around Gopalpur and Visakhapatnam, the Indian Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.
The ‘Hudhud’, which was centred around 970 km southeast of Gopalpur in Orissa and 1,000 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam on Wednesday evening, would intensify into a “severe cyclonic storm” during the next 24 hours and into a “very severe cyclonic storm” in the subsequent 36 hours. It is likely to result in widespread rainfall in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as well in the next 12 hours.
The IMD said that the cyclone was likely to cause “extensive damage to kutcha houses”, “partial disruption of power and communication lines”, and “minor disruption of rail and road traffic”. It also warned of “potential threat from flying debris” and “flooding of escape routes”.
It has suggested a suspension of fishing operations in the areas of influence of the cyclone. The Orissa government, meanwhile, said it was prepared to handle the situation. Though alert has been sounded in 16 districts, Mohapatra said collectors of Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri and Khurda districts have been asked to be remain extra watchful as those would be affected the most by the cyclone.
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