Odisha, Andhra, Bengal brace for cyclone 'Jawad'

Bhubaneswar/ New Delhi/ Kolkata: As cyclonic storm 'Jawad' rolled towards the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast on Friday, a day before landfall in Odisha's Puri district, the NDRF kept in readiness its 64 teams to meet any eventuality in the aftermath of the tempest which is likely to also affect Bengal.
The cyclonic storm is likely to reach the west-central Bay of Bengal off the coast of north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha by Saturday morning, the India Meteorological Department said.
It will then move north-northeastward along the coast of Odisha and adjoining Andhra Pradesh and touch the coast around Puri by December 5 noon, according to the weather department.
Going by the projected trajectory of cyclone, as issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the system may strike the Puri coast and return to the sea, the state's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena told reporters in Bhubaneswar, adding winds gusting at 90-100 kmph will likely impact the district at landfall.
The speed may gradually decrease after touching the Odisha coast, he said.
"There's also a possibility of the cyclonic system changing its course avoiding landfall in Odisha. It could just pass along the coastline, with Puri experiencing a rub-off effect," he said.
NDRF Director General (DG) Atul Karwal told reporters in New Delhi while 46 teams have been deployed or pre-positioned in the vulnerable states, 18 teams have been kept in reserve.
According to the deployment map shared by him at the press conference, out of the 46 teams, 19 are based in Bengal, 17 in Odisha, 19 in Andhra Pradesh, apart from seven in Tamil Nadu and two in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
All teams have been made available as desired by the various state governments and they will be deployed in consultation with local authorities, the NDRF DG said.
A single NDRF team has about 30 personnel who are equipped with pole cutters, electric saws to clear uprooted trees, inflatable boats and some other relief and rescue gadgets.
"We are confident of taking care of the situation in the best possible manner," Karwal said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday reviewed the preparedness to deal with the situation and directed officials to take every possible measure to ensure people are safely evacuated.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba reviewed the preparations being undertaken to tackle the impending cyclone and directed all agencies involved to ensure no life is lost and property damage is minimal.
A low-pressure area had developed over the Andaman Sea on November 30. It intensified into a depression on December 2 and further into a deep depression on Friday morning. It turned into a cyclone on Friday noon, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said in the national capital.
A red colour warning has been issued for Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, and Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha for Saturday.
It would result in thunderstorms along with heavy rainfall in South Bengal districts. Squally winds at a speed of around 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is also likely to commence along and off Bengal coast from Saturday evening and become gale wind at a speed of 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph from the Sunday morning for the next 12 hours.
Sixteen teams of NDRF have already been deployed at vulnerable areas of 12 South Bengal districts, including Kolkata. Coast Guards are busy doing aerial surveys. State Power minister Aroop Biswas and CMD of WBSEDCL Santanu Basu held a high-level meeting to ensure proper preparations to combat the impact of the cyclonic storm. A round-the-clock control room will be operational at Vidyut Bhawan.
The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Bengal on Saturday and Sunday, and heavy rainfall in isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura on Sunday and Monday. Sea conditions will remain unsafe for shipping and fishermen in central and north Bay of Bengal from Friday to Sunday.
The IMD has been issuing regular bulletins with the latest forecast to all the states concerned.
Saudi Arabia has given the cyclone its name 'Jawad'--the liberal or merciful. If India's east coast, often battered by cyclonic storms, escapes its wrath, it will not be a misnomer.