eavy rains due to cyclonic storm Bulbul lashed several parts of Odisha on Saturday morning. Strong wind and heavy rainfall, coupled with strong wind, poured in Balasore, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts of Odisha.
Hundreds of trees were found uprooted in several places in the coastal districts while the NDRF, ODRAF, police and fire personnel have been engaged in clearing road blockade by dislocating the uprooted trees lying on the roads.
With the “very severe” cyclonic storm Bulbul moving northeastwards, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued an orange alert for the West Bengal coast.
Thousands of people across the north coastal districts of Odisha have been evacuated to safe shelters as the cyclonic storm continued to move northwards. It lays about 110 km east southeast of Paradip.
The Kendrapara district administration has evacuated 1070 people to several shelters. A little over 1,500 persons evacuated to safety in Balasore and Jagatsingpur districts.
Cyclone Bulbul is likely to make a landfall in West Bengal or Bangladesh between 7 pm and 10 pm tonight. The highest wind speed so far recorded in Odisha is 70-80 kmph. Speaking to India Today TV, Odisha Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said that the authorities are keeping a “close watch on the situation”.
The “very severe” cyclonic storm over westcentral and the adjoining eastcentral Bay of Bengal moved northwards with a speed of 13 kmph during past six hours, and lay centred at 11:30 hours on Friday over westcentral and the eastcentral Bay of Bengal.
The SRC office had earlier informed that the cyclonic storm if likely to “intensify further on November 9 and move nearly northwards”.
“Thereafter, it is very likely to re-curve northeastwards and cross West Bengal – Bangladesh Coasts between Sagar Islands (West Bengal) and Khepupara (Bangladesh), across Sunderban delta around midnight of November 9 as a severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 110-120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph,” the SRC office said.
The wind speed at Dhamra is about 110 kmph, and 60 kmph at Basudevpur.
The IMD said gale wind speed 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph is prevailing along and off Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts of Odisha and East Medinipur, south and north 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal.
It has predicted that gale wind speed 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph is likely to continue for next 3 hours along and off Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, and for next 6 hours along and off Bhadrak and Balasore districts of Odisha.
In the last 24 hours, Paradip received highest rainfall of 159 mm, followed by Chandbali with 143 mm and Balasore 32 mm of rainfall. No casualty has been reported yet in Odisha. There were a few reports of disruption of power in a few pockets of Balasore, Kendrapada and Jagatsinhpur.
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