Special cyclone shelters are being set up for evacuues who test positive for COVID-19
Sea-faring fishers in Odisha returned to the shore in large numbers and anchored their vessels at the harbours and jetties May 21, 2021, following warnings for Cyclone Yaas.
The cyclone is predicted to strike the eastern state’s coast on the morning of March 26, 2021, according to the India Meteorology Department (IMD).
Basant Dash, joint-director (marine) of the state’s fisheries department, said:
Many boats have already returned from the sea. Only those boats that ventured into the sea just a few days ago are still on their way. We are using loudspeakers to warn fishers against venturing into the sea. Action will be taken against those ignoring adverse weather warnings.
The days of work lost will cost the fishing community dearly, locals shared. “We depend on the sea for our daily earnings. The imminent cyclone has stopped us from venturing into the sea. We expect bad weather in this region but the continuous low-pressure in the sea ruined our lives,” said Ajaya Das, a fisher from Batighar village in Kendrapara district.
Multi-purpose cyclone shelters are being readied to accommodate evacuees in case of emergencies. Pradeep Kumar Jena, special relief commissioner of Bhubaneswar, said:
We decided to convert the schools and colleges in the seaside villages into temporary cyclone shelters to ensure social distancing norms can be followed. People being evacuated will first be made to undergo a rapid antigen test. Those testing positive will be taken to special cyclone shelters that will function as temporary medical camps.
IMD has predicted a likely formation of a low pressure area over east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining North Andaman sea around 23 May. It is likely to intensify gradually into a cyclonic storm and may touch the coastal pockets of Odisha and West Bengal.
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is closely monitoring the weather development and has initiated preventive measures. Coast guard dorniers and ships at sea are constantly alerting fishers operating close to coast and those at sea about the cyclonic storm, said an official of ICG at Paradip.
“The government four years back built 122 Early Warning Dissemination System towers at the seaside villages of the state to provide cyclone and tsunami warning to the villagers of the coastal pockets. The sound emanating from the towers can be heard in localities up to a radius of 1.5 km, said Kamal Lochan Mishra, executive-director of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority and additional commissioner of relief.
The state government has alerted 12 districts for the cyclonic storm, said Jena, after attending a high-level meeting on May 20. "The authorities are working with local sarapanches and other panchayat body members to help people prepare for the cyclone in the seaside villages of the state,” said Jena.
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