A day before Hudhud's predicted landfall, Odisha on Saturday bore the look of a war

zone with roads deserted, educational institutions closed, and trains and flights
cancelled.
As the 'very severe cyclonic storm' reached nearly 300km off Gopalpur coast,
preceded by heavy rain and wind, the government began evacuating people from
seaside villages and areas prone to landslides.
By evening, nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated to cyclone shelters. Ganjam
district, which was severely damaged by cyclone Phailin on October 12 last year,
accounted for most of them.
More than 350 Bonda tribals belonging to 'particularly vulnerable tribal group'
(PVTG) in Malkangiri district were also shifted from the hills as the cyclone is
predicted to cause heavy rain in Odisha's southern districtsclose to north Andhra
Pradesh where Hudhud is likely to hit Sunday afternoon with an expected peak wind
speed of about 185kmph.
The evacuation cost two lives in Satabhaya area of Kendrapada where two children
died when a boat carrying more than 30 villagers capsized in a crocodile-infested
river near Bhitarakanika National Park.
Though the IMD bulletin said Hudhud's impact would be limited to more rain and
wind below 100kmph in southern Odisha, the government is unwilling to take a
chance. It cancelled the second Saturday holiday of its officials and put them in
position to meet the eventuality in case Hudhud becomes more than what has been
predicted.
People were alerted through text messages to stay home on Sunday when all public
and private transport services would stay off the roads.
The Howrah-Chennai NH-5 will be closed beyond Berhampur towards Andhra
Pradesh from Sunday morning. The railways have announced cancellation of as
many as 58 trains and diverted over 50 others. The East Coast Railway (ECoR) said
it would not allow a single passenger train to run between Bhubaneswar and
Visakhapatnam from 6am onwards on Sunday till the Hudhud danger is over.
A Union government release issued here said 39 National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) teams comprising 1,680 rescuers along with 199 inflatable rubber boats and
other life-saving equipment had been sent to areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha
likely to be affected by Hudhud. This is besides five helicopters and an army unit at
Raipur kept as standby to lend support in the relief and rescue operations.
Chief secretary Gokul Chandra Pati and special relief commissioner (SRC) Pradipta
Mohapatra at a joint media conference here said the government had made
'elaborate arrangements to ensure zero casualties' due to Hudhud. They said that to
avoid possible flood post-Hudhud landfall, reservoirs in southern Odisha had been

asked to release water. "We are working in close coordination with the Andhra
Pradesh government on the matter," an official said.