Gulab Cyclone: AP and Odisha states alerted as cyclone heads to north coast

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that a severe cyclone has formed in the eastern central and northeastern Bay of Bengal. The storm was named Gulab, which is moving west-northwest at a speed of seven kilometers per hour and located 330 km east-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha and 440 km of Kalingapatnam. An orange alert has been issued warnings to the North coastal Andhra districts and Odisha.

The impact of the cyclone is said to be mainly on Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts and the rest of the coastal districts also receive moderate to heavy rains. Heavy rains are expected in Odisha, north Coastal Andhra, East Godavari, West Godavari, South Coast districts, Telangana, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha in the next 24 hours.

The Andhra Pradesh government has taken precautionary measures in the wake of the storm warnings. Collectors of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts have been alerted. It recommended that 59,496 fishing families in coastal areas and 86,000 people living in inland areas be relocated to assisted rehabilitation centers.

As many as 76 zonal level emergency operations centers in coastal areas, 145 multi-purpose cyclone centers, 16 FIF landing centers, and 8 tourist areas are connected to the state emergency operations centre. Disaster management officials sent three NDRF teams to AP and 15 to Odisha. The Department of Disaster Management said fishermen should not go fishing until Monday.