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Cyclone Fani kills 16 in Odisha, restoration effort begins

| Updated: Saturday, May 4, 2019, 23:40 [IST]

Bhubaneswar, May 03: The number of deaths in the Cyclone Fani rose to 16 in Odisha on Saturday as the government mounted a massive restoration work across 10,000 villages and 52 urban areas ravaged by the storm that pounded coastal parts of the state, affecting nearly one crore people.

The extremely severe cyclonic storm, that made landfall at Puri on Friday, was one of the "rarest of the rare" summer cyclones -- the first to hit Odisha in 43 years and one of the three to hit in the last 150 years.

It unleashed copious rain and windstorm that gusted up to 240 kmph, blowing away thatched houses and swamping towns and villages, before weakening and entering into West Bengal, officials said.

It was the severest cyclone to hit the state since the Super Cyclone of 1999, which had claimed nearly 10,000 lives and devastated vast areas of the state.

The number of deaths due to Cyclone Fani, which stood at eight on Friday, mounted to 16 on Saturday -- four deaths in Mayurbhanj district, 3 each in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Jajpur; and 1 each in Keonjhar, Nayagarh and Kendrapara.

Cyclone Fani updates:

Newest First Oldest First

9:32 PM, 4 May

Railways to resume all train services from Bhubaneshwar on Sunday, reports PTI.

9:31 PM, 4 May

North Eastern states to be under orange and yellow alert till May 5: IMD

7:29 PM, 4 May

Visuals from Tarikund in Jagatsinghpur after Cyclone Fani made landfall in the state yesterday.

7:14 PM, 4 May

Navy Chief-designate Vice Admiral Karambir Singh today visited INS Chilka naval base in Odisha to review the situation after the Cyclone Fani.

7:04 PM, 4 May

Five coast guard ships with two helicopters and relief supplies have been deployed off the Odisha and West Bengal coast. Ships are also undertaking reconnaissance off the coast of Odisha and West Bengal to locate any marooned fishing boats.

5:17 PM, 4 May

Alliance Air became the first flight to land safely in Bhubaneshwar airport after it was reopened today.

4:56 PM, 4 May

59 flights have been cancelled in Guwahati, 8 in Agartala, 2 in Dimapur, 2 in Lilabari, 4 in Dibrugarh, 6 in Imphal, as the storm heads North-east.

4:46 PM, 4 May

At least 14 people were killed and 63 others injured as severe cyclone Fani barrelled into Bangladesh on Saturday, a day after leaving a trail of destruction in neighbouring India, media reports said on Saturday.

3:27 PM, 4 May

According to the offical statement issued by bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, electric poles have been uprooted, trees felled, roads affected. 12 kachcha houses collapsed, over 800 houses have been partially affected. We will take care of the restoration work. Felled trees have been removed and roads have been cleared in most of the areas.

2:27 PM, 4 May

Death toll rises to 12.

1:43 PM, 4 May

NEET exam scheduled for 5th May in Odisha postponed as per the request of State Govt working on relief and rehabilitation work in the wake of Fani Cyclone. Revised dates for the exam in Odisha will be announced soon," says Higher Education Secretary, R. Subrahmanyam.

1:42 PM, 4 May

"A record of 1.2 million people were evacuated in 24 hours, 3.2 lakh from Ganjam, 1.3 lakh from Puri & almost 7000 kitchens catering to 9000 shelters were made functional overnight. This mammoth exercise involved more than 45,000 volunteers," says Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik.

12:32 PM, 4 May

Apart from a few mud houses collapsing and tress falling, there were no reports of casualties from any of the districts.

12:32 PM, 4 May

The Cyclonic Storm Fani further weakened into Deep Depression and lay centre at 0830 y over Bangladesh and adjacent Gangetic West Bengal centred at 23.6 N and 88.8 E about 120 km north north east of Kolkata.

12:31 PM, 4 May

"Fani is likely to continue to move north-northeastwards and weaken further over the next six hours. It is very likely to move further north-northeastwards and enter Bangladesh around noon as a deep depression with wind speeds of 50-60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph," Deputy Director General of the Regional Meteorological Centre here Sanjib Bandyopadhyay told PTI earlier.

11:58 AM, 4 May

Cyclone Fani has weakened and is covering areas of West Bengal in the form of cyclone. It is further moving towards Bangladesh. The situation is under control and there is not much damaging effect. 9 teams of NDRF are present in West Bengal, says Pradeep Kumar Rana, DIG Operations, NDRF.

11:05 AM, 4 May

Kolkata airport is operational now. First departure was AI723 for Bagdogra and first arrival GoAir 101 Delhi to Kolkata.

10:31 AM, 4 May

Day after tomorrow, on 6th morning, I will be going to Odisha to take stock of the situation arising in the wake of Cyclone Fani, says PM Modi.

9:55 AM, 4 May

Light to moderate rainfall at many places over the districts of Gangetic West Bengal with heavy falls at isolated places over Nadia and Murshidabad districts on 4th May, IMD says.

9:55 AM, 4 May

For West Bengal coast, the fishermen are advised not to venture into the deep sea along and off West Bengal and Odisha coast till evening

9:38 AM, 4 May

Fani wreaks havoc in Odisha:

#Odisha: Visuals from Balarampur village, Jagatsinghpur. #CycloneFani hit the region, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/uPOQ5RjrHv
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2019

9:35 AM, 4 May

National carrier Air India steps forward to help the residents of Odisha affected by Cyclone Fani . If any (NGO/ Civil society/ SHG etc) wants to send relief materials to cyclone affected area of Odisha, Air India would ship it free of cost, an Air India statement says.

9:34 AM, 4 May

Air India to re commence operations at Kolkata airport at 09.45 am.

9:05 AM, 4 May

PM Modi:

PM Modi: Spoke to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Ji and discussed situation prevailing due to #CycloneFani. Assured continuous support from Central Government in the wake of the cyclone. Entire nation stands in solidarity with all those affected by cyclone in different parts (file pic) pic.twitter.com/8jnAs6XJe3
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2019

9:04 AM, 4 May

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has cancelled her election rallies for 48 hours because of Cyclone Fani. PM Modi's election rally in Jharkhand, which was scheduled for May 5, has been postponed to May 6, said BJP's Jharkhand unit spokesman Rajesh Kumar Shukla. BJP chief Amit Shah's and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's rallies in Jharkhand on Friday too have been cancelled.

9:03 AM, 4 May

The cyclone turned direction from Kharagpur in West Midnapore district to slowly enter Bangladesh around 6:00am and will completely emerge into Bangladesh by 12:00pm.

2:41 AM, 4 May

The storm is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards during the next 12 hours and emerge into Gangetic West Bengal with wind speed of 80-90 kmph and could even go up to 105 km/hr by early morning on May 4.

2:41 AM, 4 May

Cyclone Fani, which set out as an 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm, has weakened to a 'severe' category storm. At 8:30 pm, Cyclone Fani lay centered over coastal Odisha, about 110 km southwest of Midnapore in West Bengal, 80 km sourthwest of Digha and 210 km southwest of Kolkata.

2:41 AM, 4 May

Heavy rains lashed parts of Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam district as a fall out of Cyclone Fani which devasted the Odisha coast on Friday after manking landfall. While no human casualities were reported in AP, news agency reported that at least 8 people lost their lives in Odisha. There was significant loss of property in many states but maximum damage was reported from coastal districts of Odisha.

10:01 PM, 3 May

The Indira Gandhi International airport flight cancellation report due to Cyclone Fani 1.Total departure cancellations to Bhubhaneshwar-10 2.Total arrival cancellation from Bhubhaneshwar -09 3.Total departure cancellation to Kolkata-15 4.Total arrival cancellation from Kolkata-05

8:44 AM, 3 May

Odisha’s coastal districts Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore.

8:44 AM, 3 May

"Cyclone Fani will make a landfall between 8-11 am. In the morning at 6:31 am it was 70 km south-southwest of Puri, it is moving now," a department official said as per reports.

8:48 AM, 3 May

South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) will operate about 50 Buses from Digha on 3rd May to evacuate the stranded tourists at Digha to minimise inconvenience caused due to suspension of train operations to Digha on that day.

8:48 AM, 3 May

People take refuge in a shelter in Paradip of Jagatsinghpur. Over 1 million people have been evacuated from vulnerable districts in last 24 hoursand about 5,000 kitchens are operating to serve people in shelters. Cyclone Fani is expected to make a landfall in Puri district today.

8:49 AM, 3 May

"I join millions in our prayers to Mother Nature to ensure that Fani Cyclone doesn't cause us harm. We also stand by people of Odisha, AP & West Bengal in this difficult moment. I urge people to heed to advisories and take all precautions. Stay safe," tweets UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

8:51 AM, 3 May

The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations while the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force units in the three states have also been put on standby.

8:52 AM, 3 May

As of now, cyclone Fani is moving at a wind speed of 142 kmph in Puri and the diameter of the eye of the storm is 25-30 km. However, by tomorrow, Cyclone Fani will have crossed over into Bangladesh with significantly reduced wind speeds. It will likely be downgraded from 'Extremely severe' to 'Severe'.

8:58 AM, 3 May

The Indian Metereological Department (IMD)'s lastest update says that the eye of the storm will be on land around 11 am today. Then, it will likely cross Odisha and emerge in West Bengal in the early hours of May 4.

9:01 AM, 3 May

By late afternoon, rain belt will cover Gangetic West Bengal, many parts of Jharkhand and East Bihar. These areas will also witness moderate to heavy rains.

9:01 AM, 3 May

All shops, business establishments, private and government offices except those associated with relief and rescue operations will remain closed in 11 coastal districts as a precautionary measure.

9:06 AM, 3 May

Landfall process has begun:

#WATCH Visuals from coastal town of Digha in West Bengal as #CycloneFani is expected to make landfall in Odisha's Puri district by 11 am. According to the Met Dept, the impact of landfall process has begun. pic.twitter.com/R5iJY4vjGD
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2019

9:11 AM, 3 May

Cyclone Fani Reaches 80 km from Puri and 65 km from Gopalpur

9:13 AM, 3 May

These are some helpline numbers that you can use: Bhubaneswar (0674-2303060, 2301525, 2301625) Khurda Road (0674-2490010, 2492511, 2492611) Sambalpur (0663-2532230, 2533037, 2532302)

9:14 AM, 3 May

NDRF personnel at Paradip sea beach:

Odisha: NDRF personnel at Paradip sea beach ask locals to vacate the area as strong winds and rain hit the region. #CycloneFani is expected to make landfall in Puri district soon. pic.twitter.com/h18cJaxmul
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2019

9:17 AM, 3 May

Strong winds hit Visakhapatnam:

Andhra Pradesh: Strong winds hit Visakhapatnam as #CycloneFani makes landfall in Odisha's Puri. pic.twitter.com/horXzAifNR
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2019

9:19 AM, 3 May

Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Puri district in Odisha. The process of landfall had begun around 8am this morning. The Indian Metereological Department had said that the entire eye of the storm will be on land around 11 am today.

9:32 AM, 3 May

IMD update

THE EXTREMELY SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM “FANI” LAY CENTERED AT 0830 HOURS IST OF TODAY, 03rd MAY, 2019 NEAR LAT. 19.60N AND LONG. 85.70E OVER NORTHWEST & ADJOINING WESTCENTRAL BAY OF BENGAL ABOUT 25 KM SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF PURI. pic.twitter.com/6Ns2EDHgnU
— India Met. Dept. (@Indiametdept) May 3, 2019

9:40 AM, 3 May

"Extremely severe cyclone Fani landfall started at 8 AM. Some of the portion of the eye has already entered land area. It will take 2 more hrs to complete landfall process. Landfall position is close to Puri. It will continue upto 10.30 AM," says Director of Met Dept, Bhubaneswar, HR Biswas.

9:41 AM, 3 May

Watch:

#WATCH #CycloneFani hits Puri in Odisha. pic.twitter.com/X0HlYrS0rf
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2019

9:53 AM, 3 May

NDRF

Cyclone Fani Ground Reports : AP - Kotturu Mondal, Srikakulam : 𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐅 @ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝟒 𝐔 #TEAMNDRFINDIA #StaySafe #stayalert #stayprepared @satyaprad1 @PIBHomeAffairs @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/vW70YbrdOY
— NDRF (@NDRFHQ) May 3, 2019

9:56 AM, 3 May

The latest position of Cyclone Fani as per MeT department is near Lat 19.6N and 85.7E near Puri.

10:09 AM, 3 May

Heavy rainfall coupled with high velocity winds with speed around 175-180 kmph are slamming vast areas in coastal Odisha. Large areas in the seaside pilgrim town of Puri and other places were submerged with water as heavy rains battered the entire coastal belt of the state. Several trees were uprooted and thatched structures destroyed at some places including Bhubaneswar.

10:28 AM, 3 May

"Winds in Puri, Odisha are blowing at a maximum speed of 240-245 km per hour and heavy to very heavy rains are continuing over the Odisha coast. After landfall, the impact is likely to reduce and it is likely to move towards West Bengal coast," says an IMD official.

10:35 AM, 3 May

Heavy rainfall and strong winds hit Ganjam:

Odisha: Heavy rainfall and strong winds hit Ganjam as #FANI cyclone hits Puri coast with wind speed of above 175km/per hour. pic.twitter.com/30jdhND8L7
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2019

10:35 AM, 3 May

After landfall, it is very likely to move north-northeastwards, weaken gradually and emerge into Gangetic West Bengal as a severed cyclonic storm and move to Bangladesh after weakening, says IMD statement.

10:37 AM, 3 May

IMD update:

THE EXTREMELY SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM “FANI” LAY CENTERED AT 0930 HOURS IST OF TODAY, 03rd MAY, 2019 NEAR LAT. 19.80N AND LONG. 85.70E OVER ODISHA COAST CLOSE TO PURI. LATEST OBSERVATION INDICATES THAT THE EYE OF THE SYSTEM HAS COMPLETELY MOVED INTO LAND BY 1000 HRS IST OF TODAY. pic.twitter.com/tsJ87o1NpD
— India Met. Dept. (@Indiametdept) May 3, 2019

10:39 AM, 3 May

Emergency helpline number for Cyclone Fani:

#Odisha’s emergency helpline number for #CycloneFani +916742534177, Control room number of different districts:- pic.twitter.com/aMoXKgDFJf
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) May 3, 2019

11:00 AM, 3 May

Extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani over NW Bay of Bengal and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal is currently about 300 km east-NE of Visakhapatnam and 25 km west-SW of Puri. At the time of crossing, winds at Puri would be around 170-180 gusting to 200 km/hr, IMD Vizag official SVJ Kumar tells ANI.

11:02 AM, 3 May

The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani lay centered at 9:30am near Lat. 19.80N and Long. 85.70E over Odisha coast close to Puri. The latest obversation indicates that the eye of the system has completely moved into land by 10:00 am, said IMD.

11:03 AM, 3 May

"Everything is flying in Air ..have literally turned deaf because of wind sound ..All window panes broken ..difficult indeed ..if this is my condition in a concrete building ..I pray for the lives of millions," BJP's Sambit Patra tweets.