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Odisha shuts schools in five districts on 28 and 29 October as a Bay of Bengal storm nears the coast
Odisha has closed schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri on 28 and 29 October. A system over the Bay of Bengal is forecast to become a cyclonic storm and cross the coast between north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha on the morning of 28 October.
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Odisha has ordered schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in five southern districts to stay shut on 28 and 29 October, as a system over the Bay of Bengal is forecast to strengthen into a cyclonic storm and cross the coast between north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha on the morning of 28 October. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the preparations at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Saturday and set the state a target of zero casualties.
The India Meteorological Department expected the low-pressure area to become a depression on Saturday, a deep depression today and a cyclonic storm by the morning of 26 October. Its Director General, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, has said landfall is likely on the morning of 28 October. The Andhra Pradesh coast has the higher probability of taking the crossing, but south Odisha is expected to get the severe weather either way. The system has not been given a name so far.
The stages matter because the warnings and the closures are tied to them. In the IMD's scale, a deep depression has winds of 50 to 61 kmph and a cyclonic storm has winds of 62 to 88 kmph. The state has been through a similar exercise only a month ago. A deep depression crossed the coast near Kalingapatnam on the night of 23 and 24 September, and more than 8,000 people were moved from vulnerable areas in Odisha, with schools shut in several southern districts. The disaster response teams that were used then are the ones now on alert.
What the warnings say
The districts expected to be hit hardest are Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri. The IMD's red warning for 28 October forecasts very heavy rain in these districts, with isolated extremely heavy rainfall of more than 20 cm, along with severe thunderstorms and lightning. Other coastal districts are likely to get significant rain.
The wind figures differ a little between official statements. The red warning speaks of gusty surface winds of 60 to 70 kmph, while the Chief Minister and the state's briefings have spoken of 70 to 90 kmph in several districts. Both are strong enough to bring down trees and power lines, and fishing boats and kutcha houses are the most exposed.
The closure order covers all schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in the five districts for the two days. Collectors in the other districts can decide on closures on their own, depending on how the weather develops.
How the state is preparing
The state has lined up 302 response teams: 60 from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, 17 from the National Disaster Response Force and 225 from the Fire Services. Leave has been cancelled for government employees in Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri and Khordha. Ganjam alone has 100 cyclone centres and 1,000 temporary shelters ready.
Evacuation will begin with the most vulnerable. Elderly people, patients and pregnant women are to be moved to health centres first, and health centres in the vulnerable areas have been told to keep medicines, medical kits and anti-snake venom in stock, because floods push snakes into homes. Engineering departments are ready to clear fallen trees and restore roads, and power utilities have been asked to restore supply quickly if it is cut. The Water Resources Department is watching reservoirs and rivers.
Fishermen who are at sea have been told to return to the coast at once, and owners of large trawlers and vessels have been alerted. Farmers have been advised to harvest their crops early and store them safely. Durga Puja committees in Cuttack have been asked to dismantle their pandals before the storm arrives. All 30 districts have been told to stay alert, and the collectors of 16 coastal and southern districts have been asked to take precautions.
Andhra Pradesh and the rest of the region
In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has told officials to prepare for the cyclone and also to conserve the rainwater it brings. That second instruction matters in a year when the monsoon failed in parts of the south. Telangana, which is facing a drought, could get a break from the same system, with heavy rain forecast there because of the low-pressure area.
For people in the affected districts, the practical advice is the usual one. Keep to the official notices from the district collector and the state disaster management authority, stay away from the sea and beaches, move to a shelter when asked to, and keep a charged phone, drinking water, dry food and essential medicines ready. The forecast may still shift, and the exact track and the hour of landfall will become clearer as the system takes shape over the next two days.
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