New Delhi: In a fresh warning today IMD stated that the deep depression over the westcentral & adjoining south Bay of Bengal will intensify into a cyclonic storm during next 12 hours and is likely to reach west-central Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh–south Odisha coasts by morning of 4th December with the wind speed ranging up to 100 kilometres per hour.
Hours after the alert was issued, all schools across the Visakhapatnam & Srikakulam districts will be closed from noon today & tomorrow on the instructions of Visakhapatnam District Collector, Mallikarjuna. The East coast Railways have cancelled around 65 trains from Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh on Dec 3 & 4.
The Orissa government has also issued guidelines in view of the approaching Cyclone. Authorities plan to enagage 266 teams including those from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Fire Services and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF). The teams will be deployed in coastal districts as per the instructions given by Pradeep Kumar Jena, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC).
Earlier on Thursday, PM Modi chaired a high level meeting reviewing the preparedness of the state in line with Cyclone Jawad.