NE NEWS SERVICE
AMARAVATI, SEP 26
Two fishermen from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh lost their lives in the cyclonic storm Gulab in Bay of Bengal on Sunday evening while another still remained missing.
Three more fishermen reached the shore safely and called state Fisheries Minister S Appala Raju over phone from Akkupalli village and told him they were safe.
Meanwhile, IMD has informed that the cyclone started making landfall and would cross the coast about 25 km north of Kalingapatnam as a cyclonic storm in the next three hours.
Dated:- 26.09.2021
Government of India
India meteorological Department
Meteorological centre, Amaravati
Weather briefing on Cyclone Gulab Dated:- 26.09.2021 pic.twitter.com/Qb5kMaDEp3— MC Amaravati (@AmaravatiMc) September 26, 2021
Six fishermen from Palasa, who were returning to their native village by sea in a new boat they purchased in Odisha two days ago, were caught in the storm.
One of the six called his village over phone and informed that their boat lost balance and five of his fellow fishermen were lost in the sea. Subsequently, his mobile phone too went silent, indicating that he too might have gone missing.
https://twitter.com/b_narayanaswamy/status/1442162091280850950
However, three of them swam to safety while two others perished.
The one who made the first phone call still remained untraced and his fellow fishermen fear he made still have been trapped in the ill-fated boat.
The Fisheries Minister contacted the Navy authorities to carry out a rescue operation.
The three north coastal districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam had been receiving moderate to heavy rain under the influence of Gulab.
The Cyclonic Storm GULAB crossed north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts, about 20 km north of Kalingapatnam and lay centred at 20:30 hrs IST of 26th Sep 2021 over north Andhra Pradesh.
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) September 26, 2021
AP State Disaster Management Authority Commissioner K Kanna Babu said Gulab lay centered around 85 km from Kalingapatnam in Srikakulam district and likely to cross the coast between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur (in Odisha) around midnight.
He reviewed the situation with the district Collectors and other officials in Visakhapatnam and directed them to be on high alert.
He said NDRF and SDRF teams have been positioned in the three north coastal districts for rescue and relief operations.
In Srikakulam district, 182 persons from Vajrapukothuru mandal have been moved to relief camps, according to the Collector L Srikesh Balaji Rao.
Meanwhile, the South Central Railway informed in a release that eight trains on the Vijayawada-Howrah route were diverted via Kharagpur, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur and Balharshah.
Two other trains that were supposed to begin journey on Sunday, have been rescheduled for Monday.
PM speaks to AP CM about Cyclone Gulab
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministeri Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and took stock of the situation arising in the wake of Cyclone Gulab. The Prime Minister has also assured all possible support from the Centre.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
“Spoke to Andhra Pradesh CM Shri @ysjagan and took stock of the situation arising in the wake of Cyclone Gulab. Assured all possible support from the Centre. I pray for everyone’s safety and well-being.”
Cyclonic storm ‘Gulab’: Indian Naval ships and aircraft standby for rescue and relief ops
As the Cyclonic Storm ‘Gulab’ formed in the Bay of Bengal is expected to make landfall between North Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha coast around midnight, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the movement of the Cyclonic Storm. Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, and Naval Officers-in-Charge Odisha Area have carried out preparatory activities to combat the effects of Cyclone and are in constant liaison with the State Administrations for rendering assistance as required.
As part of the preparedness, Flood Relief Teams and Diving Teams are prepositioned at Odisha and are ready at Visakhapatnam to render immediate assistance. Two Naval ships are at sea with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) material and medical teams to render assistance in the most affected areas.
Naval aircraft are kept ready at Naval Air Stations, INS Dega at Visakhapatnam and INS Rajali near Chennai to undertake an aerial survey of the most affected areas, casualty evacuation, and airdrop of relief material as required.
