Cyclone Fani update LIVE: Cyclone Fani is bearing down on the Indian coast top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Cyclone Fani: SEVERE storm nearing landfall by coast of India Cyclone Fani is churning towards India, in what has been predicted to be the worst cyclone to hit the country in five years. Emergency evacuation has begun to take place, and 900 cyclone shelters are being prepped for arrivals. As of the latest advisory, Tropical Cyclone Fani had winds of 118 mph (190 kmph) with gusts of 124 mph (201 kmph). These measurements make Fani equivalent in intensity to a Category 3 major hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. According to the Saffir-Simpson scale, storms with the ferocity of a Category 3 can cause “devastating damage”. This includes: “Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends. “Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads. Read More: Cyclone Fani WARNING: Narendra Modi PRAYING for safety Cyclone Fani update LIVE: The cyclone is the equivalent of a category three hurricane “Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes.” When will cyclone Fani hit Odisha? Residents are being warned to expect Cyclone Fani to make landfall on Friday, May 3, hitting Odisha state on Friday afternoon. As of writing, the cyclone was around 170 miles (270km) off the coast of India. With the severity of the storm, India’s Coast Guard and Navy deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations. Cyclone Fani update LIVE: The cyclone is predicted to make landfall on Friday Army and Air Force units have also been put on standby in Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh states. Some 900 cyclone shelters have been set up, with teams going door to door to warn residents. Ameya Patnaik, assistant commandant for the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Odisha said: “They are being told what to take with them if they leave and the precautions they need to take if they stay.” Evacuations have also begun neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, with an official told CNN those in West Bengal have been told to be ready to leave. Cyclone Fani update LIVE: The predicted track of Cyclone Fani<doc-sep>The port city of Cox's Bazar, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees live in camps with minimal shelter, is also on alert. But the cyclone is currently not expected to hit the camps unless it changes path, which is not thought likely.<doc-sep>Cyclone Fani, a severe cyclonic storm, is expected to make landfall on Friday, May 3, 2019 on the eastern coast of the country. The State governments in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have begun making arrangements for evacuation and shelter. The landfall of Fani in Puri district will start between 8 and 10 am and continue up to 12 noon on Friday, according to the Odisha government. More than 11 lakh people are being evacuated in Odisha. Read Friday's ongoing updates here. May 3, 2019|1:15 am Coast Guard deploys 4 ships, 34 disaster relief teams As Cyclone Fani heads towards the eastern coast, the Indian Coast Guard has positioned 34 disaster relief teams at different spots and deployed four ships to handle any exigency. “While #ExtremelySevereCyclonicStorm #FANI lay centered 170 kms ENE of #Vishakhapatnam @IndiaCoastGuard positions 34 Disaster Relief Teams #DRTs at #Vizag #Chennai #Paradip #Gopalpur #Haldia #Frazergunj & #Kolkata besides 04 #CoastGuard ships at #Vizag & #Chennai @DefenceMinIndia,” the Coast Guard tweet. May 3, 2019|1:00 am Fani to make morning landfall Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi said the cyclone is likely to hit the coast very close to the pilgrim town of Puri around 9.30 am on Friday and the entire process of landfall will take four to five hours. Padhi warned people that remaining indoor during the entire landfall period is a must. “There may be a lull before the storm, but it will be the most dangerous phase and people should be extremely careful and keep indoor,” he said. All shops, business establishments, private and government offices except those associated with relief and rescue operations will remain closed in 11 coastal districts as a precautionary measure, he said. May 3, 2019|12:20 am Navy deploys 3 ships for rescue operations The Indian Navy has deployed three naval ships so that it can launch rescue operation after the cyclone hits the coastline of Odisha. “Indian naval ships Sahyadri, Ranvir and Kadmatt with relief material and medical teams have been deployed so that they can commence rescue operation as soon as the cyclone crosses the coast,” Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said. 11:30 pm ‘Fani’ fear grips Srikakulam Heavy rain accompanied by gales started lashing several places in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts and officials began evacuating the people in vulnerable areas to safety. Various crops were already damaged in the north coastal belt, and there were power outages in villages. The IMD predicted that squally wind with speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph was likely to prevail along and off the north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts as the cyclone crosses the coast during the day on Friday. It suggested a total suspension of fishing operations, evacuation from coastal areas and judicious regulation of rail and road traffic. Meanwhile, Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam told Union Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha during a video-conference on cyclone preparedness that 11 mandals in Srikakulam district and five in Vizianagaram were likely to be impacted by Fani and necessary precautions were being taken. The following helpline numbers have been arranged at major railway stations: Vijayawada - 0866-2575167, Anakapalle- 08924-221698, Tuni - 08854-252172, Rajahmundry - 0883-2420541 and 2420543, and Samalkot - 0884-2327010. 10:15 pm Bangladesh orders mass evacuation in 19 coastal districts The Bangladesh government issued mass evacuation orders in 19 coastal districts to prevent casualties as meteorologists predicted cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ to make landfall on Friday after hitting Indian coastlines. The armed forces were also kept ready for disaster operations. “Directives have been issued asking the administrations of 19 districts in the coastlines to start evacuating people to safe shelters from 10 am tomorrow (Friday),” disaster management ministry’s senior secretary Shah Kamal told a news briefing. Residents from the 19 districts will be shifted to over 4,000 shelters erected along the coastlines, while the local authorities took possession of safe installations like schools to be used as shelters, if required, he said. The decision for evacuation was taken at an emergency inter-ministerial meeting at the Secretariat here. Representatives from the military and other armed forces also participated in the meeting. 9:30 pm PM’s Chaibasa rally deferred to May 6 The election rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chaibasa on May 5 has been deferred by a day due to impending impact of the approaching cyclone Fani. The proposed rally of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Gopal Maidan in Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum) listed on Friday has also been put off due to the cyclone. 8:30 pm Cyclone Fani is expected to cross between Gopalpur and Chandbali around Puri during forenoon on May 4, the Met Department has tweeted. "ESCS FANI centered near 17.4 N/84.8E over westcentral Bay of Bengal at 1730 hrs IST about 275 km SSW of Puri & 160 km ESE of Visakhapatnam. To cross Odisha coast between Gopalpur & Chandbali around Puri during forenoon of tomorrow, the 3rd May," says the tweet. 8:00 pm Flights to and from Bhubaneswar, Kolkata airports cancelled Due to cyclone Fani, all flights to and from Bhubaneswar airport on May 3 stand cancelled, the DGCA has announced. No flight will depart or arrive at Kolkata airport between 9.30 pm of May 3 and 6 pm of May 4 due to cyclone Fani. The Railways Thursday said around 102 trains have been cancelled in the last two days, while four trains have been diverted. A special train has started from Puri at 12 noon, going towards Shalimar in West Bengal. It has reserved as well as unreserved accommodation. It will stop at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jajpur, Kendujhar Road, Bhadrak, Baleswar and Kharagpur. The other two special trains will ferry passengers from Puri to Howrah. 7:55 pm Women in advanced stage of pregnancy shifted to hospitals in Odisha With the ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ fast approaching the east coast, the Odisha government Thursday issued instructions to shift women in their advanced stage of pregnancy to nearby hospitals, as part of its evacuation drive in the coastal areas. “More than 1000 pregnant women have been admitted in different hospitals.<doc-sep>Cyclone Fani is likely to make landfall this morning Highlights Cyclone Fani is expected to make landfall in Odisha tomorrow morning Flights will be resumed after positive clearance from air traffic control Cyclone Fani may also impact Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bengal No flights will take off or land from Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport from 9.30 pm today till 6 pm on Saturday as Cyclone Fani is expected to make landfall in the morning. All flights from Odisha capital Bhubaneswar have already been cancelled from midnight tonight as the "extremely severe cyclone" nears the state's coast, south of temple town Puri. Indian aviation regulator DGCA, in an advisory, said the flights are being "cancelled in advance in order to avoid passenger inconvenience and safety of operations". The flights will be resumed after "positive clearance" from respective air traffic control, the advisory said. Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said all authorities have been alerted so that they are ready to deal with the cyclone and all airlines have been requested to offer assistance in rescue and relief operations. All airlines are requested to offer all assistance for rescue and relief operations in view of #CyclonicStormFANI All relief material should be airlifted to be delivered to officially designated agencies We all in #aviation sector must rise to occasion.Controll room being set up - Chowkidar Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) May 2, 2019 Various other domestic airlines have been affected due to the forthcoming cyclone. IndiGo cancelled all flights to and from Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam today. Vistara airlines waived off "change and cancellation fee" for flights that will depart or arrive from Kolkata and Bhubaneswar between May 2 and May 5. In a statement, GoAir said it "is waiving cancellation and change fees for Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Ranchi flights for travel between 2nd May 2019 to 5th May 2019." Cyclone Fani is likely to impact Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal apart from Odisha. In Bengal, it will affect East and West Medinipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Jhargram districts and Kolkata. A high level meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today to review preparedness on the ground ahead of the cyclone. Almost 1 million people from Odisha have been evacuated to temporary shelters as worst cyclonic storm since 2014 is set to hit the state with wind speeds likely reaching as high as 200 kilometers per hour. The Navy and the coast guard have deployed ships and helicopters for relief operations, according to a government statement. Odisha was battered by a super cyclone in 1999 leaving almost 10,000 people dead.<doc-sep>
As Cyclone Fani triggered downpour coupled with squally wind in coastal Odisha on Thursday, the state government moved 11 lakh people to safety and advised the public to remain indoor on Friday, ahead of its landfall around 9.30 am close to Puri. The extremely severe cyclonic storm moved menacingly close to the Odisha coast and will make the landfall in the morning, much before the earlier forecast of 3 pm. Chief Secretary A P Padhi said the cyclone is likely to hit the coast very close to the pilgrim town of Puri around 9.30 am on Friday and the entire process of landfall will take four to five hours. Photo: Getty Images Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appealed to the people to remain indoor during this period, and said all arrangements have been made for the safety and security of the people. Padhi warned people that remaining indoor during the entire landfall period is a must. "There may be a lull before the storm, but it will be the most dangerous phase and people should be extremely careful and keep indoor," he said. All shops, business establishments, private and government offices except those associated with relief and rescue operations will remain closed in 11 coastal districts as a precautionary measure, he said. The districts are Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Puri, Naygarh, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore, he said. Three more districts - Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar - may also face Fani's impact. Moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by squally wind have begun in several of these districts and the sea got increasingly rough. With a few hours left for cyclone Fani to hit the coast, a massive exodus got under way in coastal Odisha as hundreds of thousands of people left their home, on foot and by vehicles, in probably the largest evacuation ahead of a natural disaster in the country. Over 11 lakh people in 10,000 odd villages and 52 urban local bodies were shifted to cyclone shelters and other safe houses, officials said. "The evacuation process, carried out on a war footing, is almost complete," said an official. Arrangements have been made to start free kitchens at the cyclone shelters. Around 4,000 such shelters, including 880 specially designed cyclone centres, are housing the evacuees. Over one lakh dry food packets have been kept ready for air dropping for which two choppers requisitioned, Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi said. Fani is billed as the most severe cyclonic storm since the super cyclone of 1999 that claimed close to 10,000 lives and left a trail of destruction in vast swathes of the state, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre. India Meteorological Department sources said it is also the first cyclonic storm of such severity to have formed in April in India's oceanic neighbourhood in 43 years. Lugging their valuables, people were seen boarding buses and trucks, or walking to safer places amid drizzle on a windy day. Fani, according to sources, has gathered speed and is rolling dangerously towards the coast clocking 17 km per hour. The latest IMD bulletin said it lay centred over west-central Bay of Bengal about 275 km south-southwest of Puri. Navy, Air Force, Army and Coast Guard have already been put on high alert to meet any eventuality. Personnel of National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire service have also been deployed in vulnerable areas. Leave of all doctors and health officials have been cancelled till May 15, Padhi said. State police chief R P Sharma said leave of all police personnel have been cancelled. In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top officials and reviewed the preparedness to tackle the situation that might arise once the cyclone makes the landfall. The Railways said a large number trains have been cancelled as a precautionary measure. "Emergency control is to operate round-the-clock with helpline number for guiding passengers. No staff is to be allowed to go on leave for the next three days," it said in New Delhi. The East Coast Railway has cancelled over 147 trains till May 4, an ECoR official said in Bhubaneswar. Three special trains were run from Puri to Howrah and Shalimar in West Bengal on Thursday to facilitate the evacuation of tourists, he said, adding that train services between Bhadrak and Vizianagaram stood cancelled for at least two days from Thursday evening. Flight operations from Bhubaneswar airport is also suspended for 24 hours from Thursday midnight.