`Jawad': Extremely heavy rains likely to occur in coastal Andhra; navy on standby

Vijayawada/Visakhapatnam: Cyclonic storm `Jawad', which is expected to change the route and make landfall near Odisha's Puri on Sunday noon, will cause heavy to very heavy, and extremely heavy rains over Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.

Cyclone Jawad has formed in the Bay of Bengal on Friday will briefly gain in strength and become a 'severe' cyclonic storm, but is unlikely to make a conventional landfall. The IMD predicted that it may skirt the coast near Paradip of Odisha and plot a trajectory towards West Bengal

The IMD urged people in the north coastal Andhra Pradesh to remain indoors and they also suggested a total suspension of fishing operations. Very to very heavy rains with isolated extremely heavy rains are likely to occur over NCAP. Heavy to very heavy rains are also likely to occur at one or two places in East Godavari district on Saturday. Heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places will occur over north coastal Andhra Pradesh districts on Saturday.

Indian Naval Ships and Aircraft Standby for Rescue and Relief Operations

With the IMD warning of heavy rains over Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on Saturday, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the movement of the cyclonic storm. Eastern Naval Command and Naval Officers-in-Charge at Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are on the alert to deal with the effects of cyclone. The navy is in constant liaison with the state administration.

As part of the preparedness, 13 flood relief teams (FRT) and four diving teams are kept on standby to be deployed for assisting in the rescue and relief operations. Three FRT and two diving teams have been dispatched to Odisha from Vizag to augment the existing resources.

Four ships are on standby with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) bricks, diving, and medical teams to render assistance in the most affected areas along with the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast. Naval aircraft are kept ready at Naval Air Stations, INS Dega at Visakhapatnam, and INS Rajali near Chennai to undertake aerial surveys of the most affected areas, casualty evacuation, and airdrop of relief material as required.

Chief Minister Revies JAWAD

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a video conference with district collectors of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vishakapatnam, East and West Godavari districts to review the situation.

During the review meeting, the Chief Minister directed the officials to ensure there is no human loss. He sanctioned Rs 10 crore for each district for relief measures and other works.

He asked special officers to be vigilant and ensure that there is no negligence in relief measures. He instructed the officials to maintain quality in food, drinking water, and cleanliness in toilets in relief camps. He urged NDRF and SDRF teams to remain ready.

He instructed the officials to alert people in low-lying areas and evacuate them if necessary. He called for reviewing the current situation of Ponds, Canals, and Reservoirs. The Chief Minister instructed the officials to coordinate with irrigation department officials and take up emergency repair works in case of any breaches.

Chief Secretary Dr. Sameer Sharma informed the Chief Minister that they are ready to face any situation in North Andhra and Godavari districts. He said 11 NDRF teams, 6 Coast Guard teams, 10 Marine Police teams, 5 SDRF teams, and 18 Fire Service teams have already been deployed in North Andhra districts.

In addition, 115 JCBs, another 115 tippers were also made available. 232 water tankers, 295 diesel generators, 46,322 metric tonnes of rice, 1,018 metric tonnes of pulses, 41,032 liters of cooking oil, and 391 tonnes of sugar were sent to the respective districts. The meteorological department has forecasted heavy rains in coastal areas of the state on the afternoon of May 5.