Cyclone Yaas: ODRAF team arrives in Paradip

With Odisha bracing up for cyclonic storm Yaas, the first 22-member Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team on Saturday arrived in Jagatsinghpur's Paradip.

According to the Jagatsinghpur Collector, Sangram Keshari Mohapatra, the epicenter of the Cyclone Yass was reported below the Pacific Ocean floor, but no tsunami alert was issued.

"It is expected to make landfall in northern Odisha and Sundarbans, moving north and northwest. The state government has expedited all preparations. Fishermen who have gone fishing to the sea are being brought back," said Mohapatra.

"In the first phase, the state-of-the-art equipment has arrived in Paradip to protect the trees and remove roadblocks. In addition, the ODRAF team is ready to stockpile essential items to protect the livelihoods of coastal slum dwellers and relocate people to local wind shelters. So the most important thing is to be aware of the potential storms. Now that the second phase of the epidemic is underway, people are facing a lot of problems," he added.

According to Mohapatra, the ODRAF team is also working hard to raise awareness about how to deal with the storm with a strong sense of urgency, both mentally and physically.

"The district administration is on high alert and all storm shelters in the district are being prepared. The administration has made preparations to protect the livelihoods of the people by following the government's instructions," said Mohapatra.

In view of Cyclone Yaas, which is likely to make landfall along the Bengal-Odisha coast between May 24 and May 26, the Northern Railway canceled over a dozen trains from the national capital to and from Bhubaneswar and Puri in Odisha.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has also geared up to meet the likely challenges from the developing cyclonic storm Yaas on the east coast.

( With inputs from ANI )

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