Odisha's southern districts receive more rain as Cyclone Michaung nears landfall

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s southern districts continued to receive light to moderate rainfall on Tuesday in the wake of severe cyclone ‘Michaung’, which is likely to make landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh in a few hours, the India Meteorological Department said.

Rainfall has been recorded in Odisha’s Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts since Monday evening, officials said.

Gajapati received 8.5 mm rainfall, followed by 8.3 mm in Koraput, 3.9 mm in Ganjam, 2.5 mm in Malkangiri and 1.5 mm in Rayagada between 5.30 pm on Monday and 8.30 am on Tuesday, the Met Department said.

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra had said on Monday that though there will be no major impact on Odisha, heavy rain is likely at some places in the eastern state on Tuesday.

The severe cyclonic storm over westcentral Bay of Bengal along and off south Andhra Pradesh coast moved northwards with a speed of 12 kmph during the past six hours and lay centered at 8.30 am of Tuesday at a distance of about 40 km northeast of Kavali, 80 km north-northeast of Nellore, 80 km south-southwest of Baptala and 140 km south-southwest of Machilipatnam, an IMD bulletin said.

“The system is likely to move nearly northwards parallel and close to south Andhra Pradesh coast and cross it close to Bapatla during the next four hours as a severe cyclone with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph,” it said.

Authorities have deployed five teams of ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force) and eight teams from the fire service department for rescue operations in the five southern districts - Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Ganjam - the state’s Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu said.

Meanwhile, the IMD issued a yellow warning of heavy rain for one or two places in Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Nayagarh, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada districts on December 6.

It had also warned of squally weather conditions, with wind speed reaching 35-45 kmph, gusting to 55 kmph along and off the Odisha coast in Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts from the evening of December 4, and it is likely to gradually increase to 40-50 kmph, gusting to 60 kmph, from the evening of December 5 for the subsequent 12 hours.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into deep sea along and off the Odisha coast during December 4-6.

‘Michaung’ had wreaked havoc across Chennai and adjoining districts on Monday, causing flooding and disrupting normal life.