The coastal states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are bracing for cyclone ‘Gulab’, which is likely to make landfall today. The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into cyclone ‘Gulab’ on Saturday and an ‘orange’ alert has been issued for north Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts.
Cyclone ‘Gulab’ lay centered about 370 km east-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 440 km east of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Further, it moved nearly westwards with a speed of 7 kmph in the last six hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
During the time of landfall, a Tidal wave of about 0.5 m is likely to inundate low-lying areas of Srikakulam, Sompeta, Vizianagaram and Ganjam districts. Meanwhile, as many as 42 teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and 24 squads of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), along with about 102 teams of fire brigade personnel, have been dispatched to the seven districts in Odisha. Five NDRF teams have also been deployed in Andhra Pradesh.
Agriculture and other departments have been alerted to carry out damage assessment as heavy rainfall may lead to loss of crops. On the other hand, all leaves and government holidays of all the officers have been canceled given the relief efforts that are to be provided in the wake of the cyclone and flooding.