What is Cyclone Fani – Live Blog

Cyclone Storm FANI Map
Map Depicting the Path of Cyclone Storm FANI as on May 04, 2019
Cyclone Storm FANI Map
Map Depicting the Path of Cyclone Storm FANI as on May 04, 2019

7.45 AM (May 6, 2019)

The death toll in Odisha has been revised to 38. As per reports, Puri district was the most affected, and 25 people died there alone. The disaster management team, in collaboration with the state police and other government servants and volunteers, managed to save precious lives by evacuating more than one million people from the path of the cyclone Fani in a timely manner. However, due to the extensive damage to power installations, Puri, Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar were plunged into darkness. At present, the state government is working hard towards restoring power to important institutions like hospitals as soon as possible.

3.25 PM (May 4, 2019)

The 2019 NEET exam scheduled for May 5 has been postponed by the National Testing Agency in Odisha, keeping in mind the destruction and displacement caused by Cyclone Fani. The new date will be announced soon, in consultation with the state government.

1.45 AM (May 4, 2019)

PM Narendra Modi is planning to visit Odisha on Monday, May 6 morning to assess the devastation caused by Cyclone Fani. People are believed to have died there after being hit by collapsing walls, trees and electricity poles. The state government is undertaking rescue and relief operations on a large scale. Mobile towers and power infrastructure in Odisha have suffered substantial damage. Meanwhile, the cyclone is now reported to be moving in the direction of Bangladesh, after ripping through West Bengal. Trees were uprooted on a big scale in Digha, Sandehskhali, Tajpur, Contai and Mandarmani in West Bengal. In Bangladesh, some lives are already feared lost.

8:00 AM (May 4, 2019)

Kolkata is doing good now; their Golf Courses have opened and rain has stopped. The airport is slated to start operations at 3:00 PM. No major damage has been reported from the city.

6:30 AM (May 4, 2019)

Good Morning! Kharagpur in West Bengal witnessed strong winds – 90 kmph and stronger, as Cyclone Storm Fani started leaving Odisha. Kolkata airport remains shut at the moment of writing this post and the cyclone has reached Kolkata. Kolkata is experiencing strong winds as reports suggest.

7:00 PM

Digha in West Bengal experienced heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds, which necessitated evacuation from several areas. Kharagpur, Arambag and Katwa will be in the path of cyclone in the state. Kolkata and coastal areas of West Bengal are also experiencing rainfall. As per reports, Indian Navy’s Dornier has been pressed into service from Vizag this afternoon for aerial survey to assess the impact and extent of devastation caused in the aftermath of Cyclone Fani. Three persons are reported to have lost their lives in the cyclone in Odisha, as per DG, NDRF, SN Pradhan. The regional MET department in Azara warned that the cyclone may hit areas of Assam tomorrow, though it is expected to weaken by then. The AIIMS PG examination scheduled for May 5, 2019 has been cancelled for Bhubaneshwar exam centre. The exam will be conducted as soon as normalcy returns.

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3:45 PM

The Met office has predicted heavy rains and extremely heavy rains in one or two places in the coastal areas of West Bengal from Friday evening to early Saturday morning. The cyclone will enter Kolkata today evening, and will enter Bangladesh on May 4, 2019. Ferry services from Babughat in Kolkata have been stopped from 1 pm on Friday and will resume on Saturday when the weather conditions improve.Things are expected to normalise from May 5 onwards. After Odisha, the Chief Election Commissioner has exempted 4 cyclone-affected districts from the purview of the Model Code of Conduct in response to a petition from Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, to provide relief operations. Naidu had alleged that the Election Commission had shown preferential treatment in favour of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, enabling relief operations in his state. The Indian Coast Guard has stepped up efforts to distribute relief material in cyclone Fani-hit areas through choppers, as per ANI.

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2:00 PM

A package of Rs 1000 crores has been announced by PM Narendra Modi for mitigating the havoc wreaked by Cyclone Fani on the eastern coastal region of India. Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Ranvir and Kadmatt with relief material and medical teams have also been deployed to be the first responder and commence rescue operation as soon as the cyclone crosses coast. Naval Officers-in-Charge of West Bengal and Odisha are in constant communication with respective state administrations to coordinate rescue and relief operations, as per a Defence Ministry release. In Odisha, structural damage to AIIMS hospital in Bhubaneshwar was reported, where water tanks and electricity fixtures were blown off and airconditioning was damaged. Puri, Khurda, Bhubaneshwar and Jagatsinghpur are witnessing heavy rains. Additionally, Odisha police force and ODRAF are trying to clear the roads in Cuttack, blocked due to uprooted trees. Meanwhile, Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, is expected to reach Kharagpur to monitor the situation in her state firsthand. She has cancelled her election rallies for the next 48 hours.

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12:25 PM

Winds whizzing past@140 kmph and heavy rainfall during Cyclone Fani have damaged trees and electricity poles in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. Around 20,000 people have been evacuated from Srikakulam. As per IMD, now the cyclone has moved away from Andhra Pradesh. After making landfall in Odisha with wind speeds@180 kmph, Cyclone Fani is expected to weaken in the next 3 hours with a wind speed of 150-160 km per hour. Subsequently, it will weaken and move north-northeastwards. By evening, it may weaken into a severe cyclonic storm over the extreme northern part of Odisha, as per reports of IMD Delhi. Several trees were uprooted in Bhubaneshwar due to the severity of the cyclone. As a precautionary measure, Kolkata airport will reportedly suspend operations at 3 p.m., much ahead of the previously decided time of 9.30 p.m. tonight.

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10:30 AM

Puri district bore the brunt of Cyclone Fani’s landfall. Puri, the town famous for its shallow beaches and the Jagannath Temple is partially submerged at this moment. Winds were as strong as 180 KMPH. Unconfirmed reports put wind speed around 200 KMPH too.

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7:30 AM

Total number of people evacuated so far from areas most at risk has crossed 11 lakh. Windspeed likely at the time of landfall is between 170-KMPH  and 180 KMPH. Like time for landfall is 9:30 AM (May 3/2019). Current projected path of the cyclone covers 50 towns and cities and over 8,000 villages.

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7:00 AM

Areas getting rainfall due to approaching Cyclonic Storm are:

Gopalpur, Puri, Bhubneshwar, Paradeep, Balasore, Kalingapatname and Chandbali.

Windspeed at Gopalpur is 100KMPH or 53 Knots and at Puri it is 70 KMPH or 38 Knots.

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6:45 AM

States Affected by Cyclone FANI Map
Map Depicting States Affected by Cyclone FANI

 

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6:30 AM

Cyclone Fani
IMD Shares – Cyclone Fani Info

 

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6:00 AM Thursday May 3, 2019

Indian MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) has classified Fani as an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” which may cause massive damage to the Eastern Indian state of Odisha and can impact adjoining states of West Bengal and  Andhra Pradesh too. Almost 10 lakh people have been evacuated from coastal areas. International Airports at Bhubaneswar and kolkata have been shut down by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and all flights to and from these cities have been cancelled.

At 5:30 AM IMD reported “SEA CONDITION IS HIGH TO PHENOMENAL ALONG & OFF SOUTH COASTAL ODISHA & ADJOINING NORTH COASTAL ANDHRA PRADESH”. Between the three states over 10 Crore people are likely to be affected. As of this moment, Fani is looking dangerous enough to be anything between the worst India has seen last in 5 to 20 years.

Current area of landfall is near Puri in the Indian state of Odisha and the time window is between 9:00 to 10:00 AM.