Bhubaneswar: In view of Cyclone Gulab, as many as 16,000 people living in vulnerable areas of Ganjam district have been evacuated to safe locations as a precautionary measure, said SRC PK Jena.
“The landfall process of the Cyclone has begun and will continue for the next 3 hrs. Under the influence of the system, Gajapati is witnessing light to moderate rain. So far, 16000 people including 600 pregnant women and elderly people have been evacuated,” the SRC said.
According to reports, Cyclone Gulab made landfall in coastal regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh following which high winds were experienced in Kalingapatnam of Andhra Pradesh.
“Heavy rainfall followed by strong winds hit Srikakulam as cyclone Gulab made landfall. The district administration has opened around 61 relief centers & shifted 1100 people to these centres,” Srikakulam said Joint Collector Sumit Kumar.
“The next 2 hours are crucial. We expect winds to blow at the speed of 90-100 km/h. Two teams of NDRF & 4 teams of SDRF have arrived here. Heavy rainfall could lead to floods, which is another challenge. 19 mandals in the district are flood prone,” said Kumar
