Bangladesh, India prepare as severe cyclone Fani nearing

Thousands of people were evacuated from villages Thursday along India's eastern coastline ahead of extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani, officials said.

"The process of evacuating people to safer places and over 3,000 cyclone shelter homes have been arranged," an official said. "A total of 750,000 people will be evacuated by evening. Food, water and health assistance will be available in shelter homes."

The cyclone Fani is heading towards Odisha with wind speeds in excess of 200 kmph and is expected to make landfall on Friday.

"The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani (pronounced as Foni) over west central Bay of Bengal moved further north-northeastwards with a speed of about 15 kmph in last six hours and lay centerd at 8:30 a.m. (local time) today over west central Bay of Bengal, about 420 km south-southwest of Puri (Odisha), 210 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 610 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal). It is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross Odisha Coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, around Puri during Friday afternoon with maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180 kmph gusting to 200 kmph," said a statement issued by ministry of earth science.

The ministry officials said the cyclone was being tracked by Doppler Weather Radars Vishakhapatnam and Machilipatnam.

Officials have now shut down operations at two major ports on the east coast and issued an alert in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

"Alerted all concerned to be ready to deal with Cyclone Fani. Airport Authority of India issued alert to all coastal airports to ensure all precautions, SOPs put in place immediately. Situation will be monitored at the highest level. Airlines and all others to be fully ready," India's civil aviation minister said.

Meanwhile, all schools and universities in the state have been shut down.

In 2017, Cyclone Ockhi killed more than 200 people and displaced hundreds.

India's Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of light to moderate rainfall at most places in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal until Saturday.

Indian government Tuesday released a financial assistance of 155.4 million U.S. dollars to four states -- Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal -- to help them take preventive measures in response to cyclonic storm Fani.

Authorities have put Indian navy on high alert in the area for rescue and relief efforts.

Officials said extensive damage is expected to all types of makeshift houses, partial damage to old badly managed conventional structures.

"There is potential threat from flying objects, extensive uprooting of communication and power poles, disruption of rail and road links at several places, extensive damage to standing crops, plantations, orchards, uprooting of large bushy trees and large boats and ships may get torn from their moorings," the IMD said. "Total suspension of fishing operations, extensive evacuation from coastal areas, diversion or suspension of rail and road traffic."

Authorities have urged people in the affected areas to remain indoors and asked people against movement in motor boats and small ships.

Meanwhile, Xinhua reports from Dhaka: Severe cyclone Fani formed in the Bay of Bengal was feared to make landfall in Bangladesh coasts on Friday, the meteorological office in Dhaka said Thursday.

The cyclone was poised to be the strongest landfalling cyclone to hit India and Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi authorities suspended loading and unloading of goods in Chattogram, the biggest seaport in southeast Bangladesh as a precautionary measure.

Weather forecasters were asked to hoist danger signal No. 6 for Chattogram and Cox's Bazar, a seaside city in southeast Bangladesh and signal No. 7 for Mongla seaport in southwest Bangladesh.

Dhaka Met Office said in a special bulletin on Thursday morning that the cyclone over west-central Bay moved north-northeastwards further over the same area.

The cyclone was likely to intensify further and move in a north-northeasterly direction, cross Odisha coast in India and then move towards eastern Indian state of West Bengal and gradually towards Bangladesh's southern Khulna region by Friday evening, it said.

The cyclone may sweep over the coastal districts with wind speed from 150-180 km per hour while crossing Bangladesh.

On Thursday morning, according to the bulletin, the eye of the cyclonic storm stood 1,065 km southwest of Chattogram port.

People in low-lying areas in southern and southeastern Bangladesh were asked to go to cyclone shelters. All passenger launches in the country have to suspend their services until further order.

Officials said people in the coastal districts were advised to stay in safe places. Cyclone centers were opened and volunteers kept on alert.

Weekly holiday in coastal districts was canceled.

Announcements were being made in loudspeakers in the coastal districts and red flags were raised in disaster prone areas.

TV reports said southern and southeastern coastal districts have been experiencing gusty winds from Thursday morning as an impact of the cyclone approaching.

Shamsuddin Ahmed, director at Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told journalists Thursday that Fani will surely make its landfall in Bangladesh whether it crosses India or not.

"We've made all-out preparations to tackle the cyclone," Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Thursday.

"We'll try our best to reduce loss or damage to life and property by making maximum use of capabilities."

The economic loss from cyclone Aila, which hit Bangladesh's southwestern coast in May 2009, was estimated at 18.85 billion taka (about 269.28 million U.S. dollars). Cyclone Aila formed in Bay of Bengal battered Bangladesh's southwestern coast leaving at least 179 people dead and over 3 million affected in about a dozen of districts in the coastal areas.

Cyclone Aila was the biggest natural calamity in the South Asian delta country after the powerful cyclone Sidr hit the country's southwestern coastal belt in 2007, leaving more than 4,000 people dead or missing.