Cyclone Titli has made landfall on the eastern Indian state of Odisha, the country’s weather department says.
Categorized as a very severe cyclonic storm, Titli hit the Odisha coast near Gopalpur, at a speed of 140-150 kph on Thursday morning, reports NDTV.
People in coastal areas of Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh are preparing to face the full onslaught of the cyclone.
People in five coastal districts of Odisha have been asked to evacuate once the storm intensified.
In Bangladesh, Titli is likely to move Northwestwards and has started crossing the coast , said a special bulletin of the Met office.
Maximum sustained wind speeds within 74 km of the cyclone’s centre are about 120 kph—rising to 140 kph in gusts/squalls. The sea will remain very rough near the system centre.
Maritime ports of: Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Mongla, and Payra have been advised to keep local warning signal no 4 hoisted.
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All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay and the deep sea have been advised to remain sheltered till further notice.
On Wednesday, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) suspended the operation of all types of water vessels across the country due to the formation of the cyclonic storm.
Loading and unloading of goods from ships remain suspended at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong seaport since Wednesday morning when the storm intensified to a 'severe cyclonic storm' over West-Central Bay and the adjoining areas.
Md Omar Faruk, secretary of the port authority, said the activities at the outer anchorage remained suspended since 10 am, on Wednesday, following the adverse weather.
However, the activities at the jetty container remained normal.
Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Tapan Kumar Biswas said all the upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) have been kept alert, while control rooms opened in all the upazilas, reports UNB.
Khulna’s district disaster management committee said that 242 shelter centers were prepared and medical teams have been kept ready to respond to the possible disaster.
Additionally, the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) cancelled all the leaves of its officials and employees in different parts of the country.
An official order signed by BWDB Deputy Secretary (Administration) Obaidul Islam directed all the board’s officials and employees to remain at their workplaces—on holidays too.
