Cyclone Fani: Odisha gets 'yellow warning', Centre to release Rs 1,086 Crore as Advance Assistance fund
Odisha : Cyclone Fani has now intensified into an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’, it is likely to cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali by Friday afternoon.
The IMD has issued a yellow warning to Odisha, suspending all activities related to sea, rail and road travel.
“It has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm,” Additional Director General of the IMD Mritunjay Mohapatra told PTI.
While the safety and security measures are being taken, the Centre has ordered to release advanced assistance of Rs 1086 crores to the state.
The Ministry of Home Affairs order follows a decision of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) which is the country’s top body to deal with emergency situations. The amount would be disbursed to the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) of Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Of the sanctioned amount, Odisha will receive Rs 340.87 crore, Tamil Nadu Rs 309.37 crore, West Bengal Rs 235.50 crore and Andhra Pradesh will get Rs 200.25 crore.
Odisha: Rescue teams of Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy on standby ahead of cyclone #Fani that is supposed to make a landfall on May 3; #Visuals from Bhubaneswar & Cuttack. (30.04.2019) pic.twitter.com/3gmvM4XeII
— ANI (@ANI) April 30, 2019
To combat the crisis situation, Indian Navy has posted two ships at Visakhapatnam and Chennai with expert divers and doctors.
The Indian Air Force has also been alerted and their services will be utilised if necessary, said an official, adding that the Odisha government has taken up the matter with the NDRF.