New Delhi (Sputnik): Cyclone Fani, classified as an ‘Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm' by the India Meteorological Department, is expected to make landfall on the Indian mainland on Friday afternoon. The Indian administration has reportedly evacuated nearly 800,000 people to safety from its eastern coastal areas, where the storm is likely to make landfall.
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Disaster mitigation efforts are reportedly in full-swing. As of Thursday afternoon, local time, Fani is in the Bay of Bengal, off the eastern coast of India and the storm is gaining intensity.
An ‘Orange Alert' has been issued due to the pending arrival of the cyclonic storm in the states of Odisha and West Bengal, as well as the districts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and Visakhapatnam in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
The India Meteorological Department in its Thursday morning communique said "The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘FANI' (pronounced as ‘FONI') over the West-central Bay of Bengal has moved north-north-eastwards with a speed of about 15 km/hour in the last six hours".
"The storm's centre, as of 0530 IST, 2 May 2019, is about 450 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha), 230 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 650km south-southwest of Digha, West Bengal," it added.
Fani is expected to make landfall on 3 May, in the afternoon, along the coast of Odisha in eastern India between Gopalpur and Chandbali, in the state's Puri district.
"It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross the Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali around Puri during 3 May afternoon with a maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180 km/hour, gusting to 200 km/hour," the communique added.
Meanwhile, disaster mitigation efforts by various Indian agencies were in full-swing as of Thursday afternoon.
The Indian Government is making arrangements to evacuate nearly a million people in areas that may be affected by the tropical cyclone, as heavy downpours, including flash-floods, may occur in Odisha and areas of Andhra Pradesh state.
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Meanwhile, Naveen Patnaik the Chief Minister of Odisha State, which is likely to be affected most, has made an appeal to residents to remain calm. The administration had made sufficient arrangements and every life is precious, added Patnaik.