By K Singh
Cyclone ‘Fani’, which had developed south-east of Sri Lanka, has been categorised as an Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), at 05:30 hrs, on 2 May, ‘Fani’ was about 450 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha), 230 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and 650 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) – and is expected to make landfall around Puri on the afternoon of 3 May, with average wind speed of 170-180 km per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 200 kph.
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As in the case of ‘Phailin’ and ‘Hud Hud’, ‘Fani’ has been continuously tracked and analysed in the past seven days with even better technology and methodologies, with periodic warnings being conveyed to diverse levels within the Government of India and the eastern coast states, particularly Odisha and West Bengal.
The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), under the chairmanship of Shri PK Sinha, Cabinet Secretary, held two meetings (29-30 April) to review the preparedness of the states and concerned departments of the Government of India to deal with the situation arising out of ‘Fani’. Overall, the measures taken include the following:
- As per Standard Operating Procedures: The IMD will issue three hourly bulletins with the latest forecast to the Ministry of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Affairs, NDMA, various departments of the Govt of India, concerned states and districts, etc. The MHA is also in continuous touch with the state governments and the central agencies concerned.
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