Severe Cyclonic Storm “Titli”: Odisha and Andhra Pradesh Hit Badly

So far, eight people have died in Srikakulam and Vijaynagaram districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh due to the severe cyclonic storm “Titli”.  In Odisha, till now, no casualty has been reported.

Early this morning “Titili” made its landfall in Odisha near Gopalpur. Titli has been categorised as a severe cyclonic storm by India Meteorological Department (IMD). According to the bulletin published by IMD this morning, the storm is expected to last for the next 24 hours.

Titli hit Gopalpur at around 6 a.m with a wind speed of 135-145 km/hr and was supposed to take a gusting 160km/hr. Trees, electric poles in large numbers are uprooted and the kutcha houses are the worse affected.

Palasa of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh is also hit badly by the storm. The Palasa railway station saw huge destructions.

The deep depression existing over the Bay of Bengal for some time eventually intensified and took the shape of a severe cyclonic storm. The IMD alerted the advancing of the storm and its direction two days back. The gale wind is supposed to affect South Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coasts and adjoining south Odisha districts.

The intensity of the cyclone is expected to be lowered by October 12 afternoon. But heavy rains in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are likely to continue. The damage left behind by the cyclone is expected over the districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam of Andhra Pradesh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Nayagarh and Puri districts of Odisha.

“It is very likely to move northwestwards for next 12 hours and then re-curve northeastwards towards Gangetic West Bengal across Odisha. It is very likely to weaken gradually becoming severe cyclonic storm around noon, cyclonic storm around evening of today and a deep depression by morning of tomorrow, the 12th October 2018”— says the IMD bulletin.

Five coastal districts of Odisha have been evacuated and almost three lakh people from these places are moved to safety. Andhra and Odisha bound trains in large numbers are cancelled; road traffic has also become zero in the affected areas. Schools, colleges, offices, anganwadi centers are declared closed. As many as 15 teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed along with the Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force at several places across the state

The IMD suggested actions during the storm include total suspension of fishing operations till October 12, remain indoor, judicious regulation of rail and traffic.