PM chairs meeting to review preparedness for Cyclone Fani

After reviewing the emerging situation, the PM instructed senior officers of the Union government to maintain close coordination with officers of the affected states

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness for Cyclone Fani on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the PM, the Additional Principal Secretary to the PM, the Home Secretary, and other senior officials from the IMD, NDRF, NDMA and PMO etc.

The Prime Minister was briefed on the likely path of the cyclone, and the ongoing precautionary and preparatory measures being undertaken.

What preparatory measures have been taken?

The preparatory measures include the provision of adequate resources; deployment of teams from NDRF and the Armed Forces; arrangements to provide drinking water; and standby systems to restore power and telecom services.

After reviewing the emerging situation, the Prime Minister instructed senior officers of the Union government to maintain close coordination with officers of the affected states, to ensure preventive measures, and also to take effective steps for relief and rescue operations, as required.

What is the current status of the cyclone?

The latest IMD bulletin has said that cyclone Fani lay centred over the west-central Bay of Bengal, about 320 km south-southwest of Puri. It is expected to hit the coasts of Odisha on Friday. Fani is the most severe cyclonic storm since the super cyclone of 1999 that claimed 10,000 lives and caused widespread destruction in vast swathes of the state, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JWTC).

India Meteorological Department (IMD) sources said the cyclone is also the first cyclonic storm of such severity to have formed in April in India's oceanic neighbourhood in 43 years.