Odisha Fire Service and Disaster Response personnel Odisha Fire Service and Disaster Response personnel prepare for emergencies in view of the incoming Cyclone Fani , PTI

Even as the anticipation over cyclone storm Fani making landfall has been building up over the last week, senior scientists say that the pre-monsoon storm that has developed over the Bay of Bengal is a ‘very rare’ occurrence and only the 14th such instance in last 100 years. Scientists from IMD added that its severity has been building up because of its gradual movement that is allowing it to draw more energy from the warm ocean as well as moisture.

The weather system has now intensified into an ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm and will maintain its severity when it makes landfall in Odisha on the afternoon of May 3. The landfall will be accompanied by high wind speed of 180 kmph and gusting up to 205 kmph.

To that end, the Centre has deployed emergency personnel on Wednesday and ordered the Navy on standby along with Air Force and Coast Guard put on high alert.

Authorities have also ordered the evacuation of thousands of people from coastal districts likely to bear the brunt of the storm as extensive damage is expected to infrastructure such as power lines and poles, small roads, rail lines, kutcha houses, crops, plantations and trees in Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur districts.

Damage of a lower scale is also expected in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore districts in Odisha and east and west Medinipur, south and north 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata districts in West Bengal.

CM Naveen Patnaik said around eight lakh people will be evacuated to safe places by Thursday evening.

landfall with speed of 180-205 kmph

• The landfall will be accompanied by high wind speed of 180 kmph and gusting up to 205 kmph.
• From Thursday, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam will receive moderate to heavy rainfall; some pockets may receive extremely heavy rains
• On Friday afternoon, it will make a landfall between Gopalpur and Chandbali in Odisha; thereafter, it will become a ‘very severe’ cyclone storm

https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-as-fani-to-make-landfall-navy-on-standby-states-start-evacuations-2745130