Rain lashes Odisha, more in store over next 12 hours

Bhubaneswar, Dec 18: Rain and squally winds lashed several parts of Odisha on Tuesday under the impact of Cyclone Phethai that crossed through coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Rainfall, accompanied by strong surface wind, lashed several parts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, the Met office said.

                 Squally winds with speed reaching 40 kmph and gusting up to 50 kmph are likely to sweep South Odisha coast during the next 12 hours. Rainfall is likely to subside after Wednesday afternoon, it said.

                 The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall in south Odisha and heavy rainfall in western region till Wednesday as the cyclonic storm weakened gradually.

                 The depression over north coastal Andhra Pradesh moved in north-north-east direction and weakened into a well marked low pressure area and lay over north-west and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal and Odisha Tuesday morning,” Director of the Meteorological Centre here, HR Biswas said adding, It is likely to weaken further into a low pressure area during the next 12 hours.

                 While inclement weather affected normal life in many parts of south and western Odisha, no casualty was reported, a senior official said, adding power supply was disrupted in some areas.

                 As many as 11,600 people were evacuated in Gajapati district even as houses ravaged by Cyclone Titli in October are yet to be fully repaired, a senior official at the Special Relief Commissinor’s (SRC) office said.  People from seven vulnerable blocks in Gajapati district have been accommodated in safer places.

                 Relief camps have been opened and evacuated people are being provided food and other essentials.

                 Heeding the state government’s advice, farmers in many parts of Odisha have taken precautionary measures to protect crops from the rain. However, farmers still suffered considerable loss due to the rain which damaged standing paddy and cotton crops along with harvested paddy stocks stashed in open fields.

                 The cyclone made landfall near Katrenikona in East Godavari district in the afternoon on Monday, packing windspeed that gusted upto 85-90 kmph, uprooting electric poles and trees in Katrenikona, Tallarevu and Malkipuram in the district.

                 No casualties were reported, though power supply was severely hit in several parts of the district.