Cyclone Fani – India

03.05.2019

Ten thousand villages and 52 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are likely to be affected by cyclonic storm Fan source. There are approximately 36 million in the path of Category 1 or higher conditions. Cyclone Fani was upgraded to a category 5 cyclone on 2 May and is expected to be the most severe cyclonic storm since the super cyclone of 1999 which killed 10,000 people. Source. Hurricane force winds and significant waves battered more than 600 miles of shoreline of Odisha and Bengal and West Bengal, India. More than a million people were shifted to safer areas as “extremely severe” cyclone Fani made landfall near Odisha’s Puri on Friday morning. Energy infrastructure in Odisha has been completely destroyed and restoration will be a challenging task. The storm has now moved out of Odisha coast and heading to nearby states affecting weather of several countries in the Asian subcontinent. Source

Humanity Road activated its disaster desk in advance of landfall of Cyclone Fani. This situation report number 1 contains helpful resource links and useful information based on early indications in social media.

Download a PDF of our Situation Report

  • India Cyclone Fani 2019.pdf

NATIONAL LINKS

Prime Minister of India:

 

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

 

Disaster Management Division – Ministry of Home Affairs – Government of India

  • Website: https://www.ndmindia.nic.in/

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

 

National Database for Emergency Management ( NDEM )

 

India Meteorological Department

 

Indian Army

 

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

 

Indian Red Cross Society

 

Humanity Road

Corporate Disaster Resource Network (CDRN India)

 

All India Radio News

REGIONAL LINKS

Odisha

Odisha State Government

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh State Government

  • Website https://www.aponline.gov.in/apportal/index.asp

 

West Bengal

West Bengal State Government

Website https://wb.gov.in/

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

India’s emergency helpline numbers for Cyclone Fani

Dial 1938

Dial +916742534177

Tweet to @SRC_Odisha and use hashtag #CycloneFaniSOS

Call the control room numbers for your district. See Appendix

 

Odisha State

  • Six NDRF teams stationed in Gujarat have been rushed to Odisha in the wake of cyclone Fani. The teams would be kept on stand to there and would be immediately deployed at places of need, an official of the NDRF said today. Source

Andhra Pradesh State

  • Farmers can report the damage & losses due to Cyclone Fani in Andhra Pradesh on one of the following apps source

 

West Bengal State

  • Police 100, Fire 101
  • West Bengal Police 033-22144031/1946

 

Assam State

  • Assam Emergency Helpline: 0361-2237219 / 2237460 source
    • Toll free: 108, 1070
    • Helpline: 1079

SIGNIFICANT UPDATES

3 May

  • The railways will transport aid and relief materials free of cost to cyclone ”Fani” affected #Odisha, #West Bengal and #Andhra Pradesh source
  • At least eight people have been reported dead so far, senior officials said, adding information was still awaited from many areas. Source
  • All educational institutions, commercial establishments, shops and offices were closed on Friday morning along with restricted movement of vehicles. Source
  • Damage Expected for Khurda (including Bhubaneswar), Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsighpur districts of Odisha: (i) Total destruction of thatched houses/ extensive damage to kutcha houses. Some damage to pucca houses. Potential threat from flying objects. (ii) Bending/ uprooting of power and communication poles. (iii) Major damage to Kutcha and and Pucca roads. Flooding of escape routes. Minor disruption of railways, overhead powerlines and signalling systems. (iv) Widespread damage to standing crops, plantations, orchards, falling of green coconuts and tearing of palm fronds. Blowing down of bushy trees like mango. (v) Small boats, country crafts may get detached from moorings. (vii) Visibility severely affected. Source
  • Damage Expected for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Keonjhargarh, Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts of Odisha and east & west Medinipur, south and north 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogli, Kolkata districts of West Bengal and Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Vijayanagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh: (i) Major damage to thatched houses/ huts. Rooftops may blow off. Unattached metal sheets may fly. (ii) Minor damage to power and communication lines. (iii) Major damage to Kutcha and some damage to Pucca roads. Flooding of escape routes. (iv) Breaking of tree branches, uprooting of large avenue trees. Moderate damage to banana and papaya trees. Large dead limbs blown from trees. (v) Major damage to coastal crops. (vi) Damage to embankments/ salt pans. Source
  • Over the next few hours, the storm is expected to weaken as it moves toward Kolkata, one of India’s most populous cities, and Bangladesh. Cyclone Fani has been downgraded to a very severe cyclonic storm — down from an extremely severe cyclonic storm. The wind speeds have been reduced to 140-150 kmph (that’s about 86 to 93 mph). It is expected to weaken further over the next 5 hours. (Source)
  • The state administration had evacuated nearly 11 lakh people two days ahead of the cyclone from about 10,000 villages and 52 urban agglomerations in probably the largest evacuation exercise at the time of a natural calamity in the country. source
  • The evacuees have been accommodated in over 4,000 shelters, including 880 specially designed cyclone centers. Source
  • Power utility CESC Ltd on Friday said it has deployed 200 mobile vans around the city to tackle any likely disruption caused by cyclonic storm ‘Fani’, which is headed to West Bengal from neighbouring Odisha. (Source)

2 May

  • National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has pre-positioned its 54 rescue & relief teams along the seacoast & in flood prone areas of Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands,Jharkhand, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu & West Bengal. Source
  • Bangladesh Met Dept issued danger signal # 7 for nine coastal districts. Source
  • Train services cancelled and Diverted in view of #cyclone #FANI Three special trains arranged towards Howrah from Puri source
  • Bhubaneshwar’s Red Cross prepares for distribution of relief material packets source
  • Leave of all doctors and health officials have been cancelled till May 15 per state’s chief secretary A P Padhi. Source

SIGNIFICANT UPDATES BY REGION

Updates by Region

Assam Est Population 31,205,576 Location 26.14°N 91.77°E

  • 3 May – On Saturday, Assam will witness heavy to very heavy rainfall and wind including in Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Barpeta, Kamrup, South Salmara, Mankachar and parts of Baksa according to the MeT Department. Source

Cuttack Est Population 2,618,708 Location 20.466°N 85.833°E

  • 3 May – Connection issues in Cuttack source
  • 3 May – Cyclone uprooted tin & thatched roofs, downed poles and wires blocking roads, power or no communications source
  • 3 May – Thirty story crane collapses on homes in Cuttack source
  • 3 May – Odisha police are working to clear roads in Cuttack Video

Jagatsinghpur Est Population 1,058,894 Location 20.266°N 86.166°E

  • 3 May – Connection issues to the Jagatsinghpur helpline. Source
  • 3 May – Jagatsinghpur District Police relentlessly working to clear the road. Source
  • 3 May – Over 5,000 kitchens are operating to serve people in shelter homes in Paradip of Jagatsinghpur. Source

Kendrapara Est Population 1,439,891 Location 20.525°N 86.475°E

  • 3 May- In Debendranarayanpur village in Kendrapara district, a 65-year-old woman died after suspected heart attack at a cyclone shelter. Source
  • 3 May – Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Odisha reports that Paramedics, Medical officers & #ASHA members distributed medicines at various cyclone shelters of Kendrapara district source

Jajpur Est Population 1,826,275 Location 20.85°N 86.333°E

  • Road clearance continue in foni affected roads by Jajpur Police source
  • 3 persons were killed in Jajpur district source

Puri Est Population 1,502,682 Location 19.816°N 85.833°E

  • An aerial survey was conducted by the Naval Dornier Aircraft observing extensive devastation to vegetation in many places around Puri. Source
  • Government of India Spokesperson: As per telephonic information, in Puri, extensive damage to kuchha houses, old buildings and temporary shops. No confirmed report of deaths, but 160 reportedly injured. Power and telecom is completely down. NDRF & State forces are clearing roads. Source
  • A large number of trees & electric poles were found uprooted creating roadblocks in the city limits of Puri. Source
  • Large scale water inundation was observed in many, particularly in low lying areas between Puri and Chilka Lake. Source
  • 3 May – 160 reportedly injured. Power and telecom is completely down. @NDRF and State forces are clearing roads. via @DG_PIB source
  • 3 May – A teenager was killed when a tree came crashing down on him at a place within Sakhigopal police station area limits in Puri district. source
  • 3 May – “Unable to reach my parents please send someone to help them.” Source
  • 3 May – No electricity in Puri and Bhuvneshwar. Free SMS already implemented. Continuous rainfall, high speed wind, and water logging source

Khordha – Estimated Population 2,251,673 (Location 20.166°N 85.666°E)

  • 3 May – Huge numbers of trees have been uprooted resulting in disruption of road communication. Khordha and Bhubaneswar city have been severely affected. source
  • 3 May – Bhubaneswar airport to resume flights from 1pm on May 4 source
  • 3 May – Bhubaneswar – Secretary of Health reports that patients, staff, students safe. Water tanks, lighting poles, air conditioning damaged via @DG_PIB source
  • 3 May – Bhubaneswar – Extensive damage to hostel, All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hostel roof blown off [Video] source

Nayagarh – Estimated Population 17,030 Location 20.127°N 85.107°E

  • 3 May – Flying debris from a concrete structure hit a woman in Nayagarh district when she had gone to fetch water, killing her. source

Balasore Est Population 2,317,419 Location 21.5°N 86.9°E

  • Balasore; trees, electric poles uprooted, communication affected source

Bhadrak Est Population 1,506,522 Location 21.0667°N 86.5000°E

  • 3 May – Uprooted trees and damaged power lines at Bhadrak source
  • 3 May – Damage at Bhadrak railway station. Roof top sheets at platform 2/3 flies off source
  • 3 May – The Indian Railway has cancelled 223 trains in the Bhadrak-Vizianagaram section, along the coastal lines of Odisha on the Kolkata-Chennai route till 4 May source

Mayurbhanj Est Population 2,513,895 Location 21.933°N 86.733°E

  • Two youths killed after a tree fell on them in Baripada town of #Mayurbhanj district source

COMMUNICATIONS

3 May

  • Airtel and Vodafone Idea have said that they have setup war rooms to deal with the impact of cyclone Fani. The operators are also monitoring the situation and coordinating with the government agencies. source
  • Airtel has also made SMS service free in three affected states for 5 days, and has opened Emergency Intra Circle Roaming with other operators. source
  • Telecom towers have been affected resulting in cellular and telephone network down in wide area. All telephone and cell phones are down in Puri district. Telephone and mobile connectivity has also been severely affected in Khordha including Bhubaneswar city. source
  • India’s largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea has initiated contingency measures, including activating emergency helpline number and free SMS for subscribers in Odisha. source
  • Odisha Telecast disrupted; coverage continues through social media #FaniLiveWithOTV #Odisha

LANGUAGES

  • 2016 census. Dialects include Mogalbandi, Katki, Baleswaria, Desiya, Ganjami, Hindi, Urdu, source
  • Other languages spoken include Hindi-Urdu,Telugu, Bengali, Sambalpuri, Santali, Sadri, Kui/ Khond/ Kandha /Kuy (in Kandhamal), Bonda, (in Odisha-Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand border), Saura (in Gajapati) Kuvi (endangered Dravidian Language in Kandhamal) source

MAPS AND REPORTS

  • Risk Zones Map See Appendix
  • PDC Brief PDF
  • IFRC Report Bulletin #2 PDF
  • Regional specialized meteorological centre for Tropical Cyclone Over North Indian Oceans Hourly Bulletin PDF
  • India Meteorological Dept ESSO Bulletin 14:00 May 3 PDF
  • CARE: Cyclone FANI Situation Updates- Severe to Medium Risks for Bangladesh Needs Assessment Working Group Updates Version: 03, Date: 3 May 2019 (10.00 AM BST) PDF
  • Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) Echo Daily Map May 2, 2019 PNG
  • Satellite bulletin based on satellite imageries and products PDF

Power and Fuel

Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Corporation Ltd APEPDCL @epdcl1 https://www.apeasternpower.com/ Website was down as of 3 May

3 May

  • APEPDCL has prestaged 12,000 poles, 50 cranes, 40 pole drilling machines, 40 generators, 70 power saws, 2,000 transformers, wires, conductors, cross arms, insulators were already sent to the cyclone-affected places source
  • Odisha government has decided to disconnect the power supply when the wind speed reaches 50 kilometers per hour as a precautionary measure for the safety of people and equipment source
  • Electricity restoration in Srikakulam district https://twitter.com/ncbn/status/1124279187571798016

Shelters and Evacuation Centers

3 May

  • The government has set up 4,852 cyclone and flood shelters, and evacuees have been provided with cooked food. Source
  • Evacuations: More than 1 million people evacuated from Odisha alone, with hundreds of cyclone shelters set up along the coast. Mass evacuations are also starting in Bangladesh ahead of the cyclone’s arrival; officials aim to evacuate 2.1 million Bangladeshis by tonight.(Source)
  • Relief and rescue: India’s coast guard and navy deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations on Friday. Army and air force units are also on standby in vulnerable states. In Bangladesh, 56,000 officials have been deployed for evacuation and rescue operations. (Source)
  • Bangladesh – Deputy Commissioner SM Mostafa Kamal said 137 government cyclone centres and other non-government shelters have been opened in the district. (Source)

Schools

3 May

Odisha State Department of Schools and Education

  • There are 6193 Govt. and aided Secondary Schools, 849 Recognized High Schools and 151 permitted High Schools in the State of Odisha

Health and Hospitals

3 May

  • The Health Department has formed 302 rapid response teams. Source
  • Over 240 medical institutions have been provided with power back-ups. Source
  • “Extensive damage to hostel of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. All patients,staff, students safe. Many water tanks have blown off, lighting poles are down, air conditioners damaged. We have enough supplies, ready to support the state” – Health Secy Preeti Sudan Source

Special Needs

3 May

  • As many as 604 women, who are at advanced stages of pregnancy were shifted to maternal care centers. Source
  • At least 480,000 children in India have been impacted by torrential rains, flooding, and winds of up to 127 mph brought by Cyclone Fani source

Airports

3 May

  • The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is closed from 3 p.m. Friday to 8 am (IST) on Saturday, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said. Source
  • Ministry of Civil Aviation: Airports Authority of India (AAI) conducted review meeting today at Bhubaneswar Airport at 1830 hrs & took stock of the situation. Bhubaneshwar will resume commercial flight operation with effect from 1300 IST on 04 May. Source
  • Government is taking all possible steps for Airlines passenger safety and to minimise their inconvenience due to #CycloneFani: Civil Aviation Minister @sureshpprabhu Source
  • Lists of Airports Wikipedia

2 May

  • All airlines and operators are informed flights from Bhubaneswar from 0001 IST on 3.05.2019 til 2359 on 3/5/.2019 and Kolkata from 2130 IST on 3/5/2019 til 1800 IST to 4/5/2019 are cancelled. source

Roads, Rails and Bridges

3 May

  • Railway helpline numbers source
  • There are road blockages along the coast towns of Odisha and West Bengal. A large number of trees & electric poles were found uprooted creating roadblocks in the city limits of Puri. Source
  • Road communication in Ganjam and Gajapati completely restored. Road clearance and restoration works in other districts including Bhubaneswar city is going on source
  • Full list of trains cancelled until Saturday source
  • The railways will transport aid and relief materials free of cost to cyclone ”Fani” affected Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The railways issued a set of guidelines to all Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) saying all government organisations can book relief material free of cost to the affected states. DRMs have been given powers to take necessary action as and when required like attaching additional coaches or vans to various trains bound to states affected by the cyclonic storm. “However, it would be preferable not to load relief material in usual parcel vans, but in separate vans/coaches…no ancillary charges like demurrage, wharfage or others are to be charged for transportation of relief material.” The railways has said these guidelines will be in effect till June 2 or till further orders.Source
  • Railway Helpline telephone Numbers: https://twitter.com/istedia/status/1124199758850023426
  • As many as 223 trains along the Odisha coastline in the Kolkata-Chennai route have been cancelled. Railways has also pressed into service three special trains to ferry passengers. Source

2 May

  • @RailMinIndia Keeping in mind the Safety & Security of Train Passengers in view of Cyclone-FANI, Railways earlier had cancelled 107 trains from 1st to 3rd May, 2019. It has further decided to cancel 40 more trains on different days source

Maritime, Shipping, Ports

3 May

Pictures and Videos

3 May

  • Video Bhubaneswar All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hostel roof blown off video
  • Odisha police are working to clear roads in Cuttack Video
  • Roads are blocked by trees Photos
  • Visuals of the extensive damage in Puri Photos
  • Visuals in Jagatsinghpur where wind speed touched 200 kmph Video

Social Media

Social Media

Hashtags – #CycloneFani #Fani #FaniCyclone #FaniUpdates #OdishaPrepared4Fani #OdishaPrepared4Fani #CyclonicStormFANI