Odisha evacuates 1.6 lakh people as Cyclone Murasu approaches Andhra Pradesh coast
The state government has placed eight districts on alert and deployed over 300 rescue teams ahead of the severe cyclonic storm.
The Odisha government on Monday moved more than 1.6 lakh people to safer locations as the severe cyclonic storm Murasu moves towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, according to reports from Urban Acres, ThePrint and The New Indian Express.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari stated that the state is fully prepared for the storm's impact. Eight districts, including Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Puri, have been placed on alert for heavy rainfall.
In Ganjam, the district administration has shifted 1,51,434 people from a target of 2,94,752. The district has prepared 1,139 shelters, consisting of 110 permanent and 1,029 temporary facilities, with a capacity for 3.41 lakh people.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil noted that nearly 150 locations in Gajapati have been identified as landslide-prone. In Kandhamal, 2,394 people, including 450 children and 146 pregnant women, have been moved to 35 shelters.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that Murasu could cross the coast between Nellore and Narsapur between 11.30pm on Monday and 4am on Tuesday, with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph.
More than 300 rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire services have been deployed. Schools and Anganwadi centres in several districts are scheduled to remain closed on Tuesday.