Bhubaneswar: After the devastation caused by the recent cyclones ‘Daye’ and ‘Titli’ in Odisha, another cyclone ‘Gaja’ is now developing in the Bay of Bengal which is expected to intensify into a Super Cyclone in the next few days. But the cyclone is most likely to skip Odisha.
In anticipation, the National Emergency Response Centre in New Delhi, a constituent body of the Disaster Management Unit of the Home Ministry, has written to the chief secretaries’ and the relief commissioners’ office of the state government and other eastern coastal states asking them to track the movement/development of the cyclone in the sea and accordingly keep the officials on alert besides taking measures to combat the likely effect of the cyclone.
The India Meteorological Department, meanwhile, in its bulletin, has claimed that there is no need to issue any warning for fishermen or of heavy rainfall as the cyclone is most likely to elude the Odisha coast.
The sea condition is very likely to be rough to very rough along and off Tamil Nadu-south Andhra Pradesh coasts from November 14 morning. According to the Met forecast, the gusting speed of the winds during the Super Cyclone could reach as high as 125 km ph during November 12-14 in the affected areas.
The cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’ is reported to be over the west central and adjoining east central and southeast Bay of Bengal and moving westwards with a speed of 12 km ph which is likely to intensify.
Speaking to Orissa POST, Bhubaneswar Met Director HR Biswas said, “The cyclone is not likely to touch or affect Odisha coasts. The impact will mostly be felt in Tamil Nadu. Fishermen venturing into the deep sea have been warned not to do so during these days.”