Cyclone Titli weakened into a deep depression and entered West Bengal on Friday even as the Odisha government stepped up rescue and relief operation in areas affected by deluge areas caused due to heavy rainfall, officials said.
“Depression over Odisha moved east northeastwards with a speed of 23 km lay centred at 0230 hrs of today over North Odisha and adjoining West Bengal about 70km north of Digha,” Indian Meteorological Department (MeT) said.
The severe cyclonic storm packing winds of up to 150 kmph and widespread rains had hit eastern India coast on Thursday, killing eight people in Andhra Pradesh and one in Odisha. The cyclone claimed three more lives – two in Odisha and one in Bengal – on Friday, taking the death toll to 12.
As many as 1,27,262 people were sheltered in 963 relief centres in Odisha on Friday, while the NDRF and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have been deployed to speed up rescue and relief operations, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) BP Sethi said.
Cyclone Titli made landfall at Palasa near Gopalpur in Ganjam on Thursday morning.
The flood situation in three south Odisha districts – Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada is grim as the water levels in major rivers like Rushikulya and Bansadhara have crossed their danger marks, official sources said. Ganjam has been categorised as the “worst-affected”.
Two helicopters were requisitioned from the Indian Navy mainly for rescue and air dropping of relief materials in villages in Ganjam district as the areas are cut off from rest of the state due to the submergence of roads with rain and flood waters.
In Ganjam, 13 of its 22 blocks were badly hit in the cyclone and floods. Blocks like Aska, Purusottampur and Sanakhemundi were inundated by rainwater as well as water from Rusikulya river which gushed into the villages, a senior official said.
Train services were affected by the cyclone and floods and at least 16 trains were cancelled and several others rescheduled by East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Friday due to submergence of railway tracks.
Water level on railway tracks in Berhampur-Palasa section is yet to recede due to continuous rains, an ECoR official said. The water level also touched the danger mark at a bridge between Ichhapuram and Jhadpudi stations in Berhampur-Palasa railway section, he said.
The cyclone has “weakened into a deep depression” and triggered incessant rainfall in the state, SRC Sethi said.
