Brahmapur, Bhubneshwar, Srikakulam: It has been almost three hours since cyclone Phailin made landfall at Gopalpur coast in Gajam district of Odisha. The entire southern coast of Odisha and northern coast of Andhra Pradesh have plunged into darkness. There has been no report of damage to property and loss of life from any part of these two states.
It has been raining non-stop in Srikakulam, Ganjam, Brahmapur, Puri and neighbouring areas. The severe rain is battering the coast.
Since the communication lines are down, the media and the governments have been unable to gather any information on the damage and destruction.
There were some sketchy reports of house collapse and damage to roads from Ganjam district in Odisha.
CNN-IBN Senior Editor Karma Paljor who is reporting from the Brahmapur, which is just 15 KM from Gopalpur said window panes of his hotel have been broken and rain water has entered into the building.
Since, there was no power supply and over one crore people are spending a terrible night in dark, nobody has been able to get even a glimpse of the damage and destruction.
In his last update for the night CNN-IBN Bhubaneshwar correspondent Jajati Karan said that the government can get even the basic information only in the morning. However, he fears that the cyclone has caused a lot of damage in the state.
The Northern part of AP is also receiving a severe rain. The rain is lashing Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts. But, the local administration said it can update on the damage and destruction only by Sunday morning.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been in constant touch with Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and taking stock of the situation in cyclone-hit Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. She says the government and Congress will do everything possible to stand up to emergent situation.
Cyclone Phailin hits India's East coast near Gopalpur in Ganjam district of Odisha on Saturday night. At over 200 km per hour Phailin is the worst cyclone in the last 14 years. There has been no reports of damage or casualty so far.
Briefing media about the landfall of the cyclone Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) Director General LS Rathore warned that the east coast will receive the most severe rain in the next 12 hours.
CNN-IBN, Senior Editor Karma Paljor, who is in Brahmapur in Odisha says the wind speed is very high. He adds that there is no electricity and no landline phone is working. Most of Ganjam district and Srikakulam district in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have already plunged into darkness.
CNN-IBN Bhubaneshwar correspondent Jajati Karan has reported that the state capital has been without power and the wind is blowing at a very high speed indicating a severe rainfall later in the night.
CNN-IBN Correspondent Preeti Singh, who is reporting from an evacuation shelter near Kalingapatnam says that tens of thousands are spending an anxious night at different relief centres spread over Andhra Pradesh coast.
According to the Met department reports, the heavy rain is likely to cause a lot of trouble across the coast of two states.
The cyclone has brought a vast quantity of rain, which is likely to batter Odisha and Andhra coast. Seven people have died in the cyclone related incident in Odisha.
The districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kurda have been affected by the cyclone.
The Met department has downgraded it to category 4. It says it is as serious as hurricane Katrina, which battered the USA. The severe rainfall is likely to cause a huge damage to roads, railways, telephone lines and standing crop in the affected area. The storm surge is also expected to be above 3.5 meters across the coast.
According to a Disaster management expert RK Datta, the cyclone is expected to cause a huge damage to flora and fauna close to the coast.
Since the Met department warned of the cyclone Phailin well in advance, the state governments of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh guided and assisted by the Centre have evacuated more than one million people from the coast preventing a massive loss of life.
A journalist from Odisha has tweeted saying 'shrieking winds battering away at the windowpanes. Eerie sounds. Speed is really scary'.
The Union government is keeping a close watch on the cyclone. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde himself is monitoring the operations. He is being assisted by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and NDRF.
The Railways has suspended trains in the affected area. The Coromandel national highway which connects Kanyakumari to Kolkata has also been shut between Vizianagaram and Ganjam.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also in constant touch with the PMO officials. He is getting minute - minute updates on the situation.
The Chief Ministers of Odisha and AP are also closely monitoring the relief and rescue work.
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Following are the helpline numbers:
Odisha: 0674-2534177
District control room number:
Mayurbhanj 06792-252759,
Jajpur 06728-222648,
Gajapati 06815-222943,
Dhenkanal 06762-221376,
Khurda 06755-220002,
Keonjhar 06766-255437,
Cuttak 0671-2507842,
Ganjam 06811-263978,
Puri 06752-223237,
Kendrapara 06727-232803,
Jagatsinghpur 06724-220368,
Balasore 06782-262674,
Bhadrak 06784-251881.
Andhra Pradesh: 040-23456005/23451043 Fax-040-23451819
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Google crisis map: Cyclone Phailin
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