Cyclone Jawad weakened into a deep depression on Saturday evening, the India Meteorological department said. A depression brings rain and wind.
In a bulletin, the weather department said that the cyclone was situated 180 km east-southeast of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 330 km south-southwest of Puri in Odisha.
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are preparing to deal with the impact of the cyclone. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the two states. Schools and tourist places were shut on Saturday as heavy rain was expected.
Under the impact of the approaching cyclone, parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have been receiving rainfall since Friday evening. On Saturday morning, Puri district in Odisha witnessed rainfall and strong winds, The Times of India reported. The Puri beach was vacated in view of the weather alert.
The India Meteorological Department had predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy showers at isolated places over south coastal Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh on Saturday. Heavy to very heavy rainfall was also expected at isolated places over north coastal Odisha.
Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Vishakhapatnam districts in Andhra Pradesh and Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Nayagarh, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts of Odisha were likely to be the most affected.
The IMD also advised fishermen in the region to not venture into the sea on Saturday and Sunday.
Precautionary measures
The Indian Railways has cancelled 36 trains on Saturday, 38 trains on Sunday and one train on Monday due to the expected impact of Cyclone Jawad, The Times of India reported.
In Vishakhapatnam, all tourist spots have been closed on Saturday and Sunday. The irrigation department of Andhra Pradesh will release water from the Madduvalasa, Gotta Barrage and Bhagalotti dams and the Thotapalli barrage with a view to prevent flooding.
The Andhra Pradesh government has evacuated 54,008 people from three districts in the state, ANI reported. The state government has set up 197 relief camps at schools and community halls.
The Odisha government has directed the closure of schools in 19 districts on Saturday, according to ANI. The government, however, allowed any scheduled examinations to be conducted with “utmost care under supervision”.
In West Bengal, people living in low-lying areas, particularly in the South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts, have been taken to places at higher altitude, Mint reported.
The National Disaster Response Force has deployed 64 teams in various states to deal with emergency situations, PTI reported.
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