Odisha too braces for Cyclone Montha, red alert sounded in 8 districts

These districts are expected to receive extremely heavy rainfall, while some pockets may also experience wind speeds up to 100 km per hour when the cyclone makes landfall.

Leaves of government employees here have been cancelled until October 30, while senior officers from the state have been sent to help local administrations tackle the situation.

“The preparedness is almost complete in these eight districts. Over 200 pregnant mothers who are expected to deliver soon have been shifted to nearby health centres. The district administrations have been asked to evacuate people from low-lying and other vulnerable areas to shelters. The evacuation process has already started,” said Odisha’s revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari

As many as 128 teams, including NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire services, have been sent with necessary equipment and boats to aid with operations.

Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha, D K Singh, said the state government is in touch with the Coast Guard to use its helicopters in case the need arises.

Considering the heavy rainfall alert, the state government has started discharging water from some major dams.

Districts like Malakangiri and Gajapati have sent senior officers to landslide-prone zones to bring people to safety.

Montha, which has intensified over the southwest-central Bay of Bengal, is moving at a speed of 18 kmph, and is currently centred 520 km from Chennai, 570 km from Kakinada, and 600 km from Visakhapatnam, the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) said on Monday.