The Cyclone Titli made landfall near Gopalpur in Odisha on Thursday morning. The bordering district of Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh was severely hit due to the cyclone leaving two persons dead. Several parts of Odisha are experiencing heavy rain as the Cyclone intensifies.
According to a latest report by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cyclone Titli made the landfall between 4.30 and 5.30 am in southwest coast of Gopalpur near Palasa in Andhra Pradesh with an estimated maximum sustained surface wind speed of 140-150 kmph gusting to 165 kmph.
The landfall process was complete and "the centre of eye of cyclone Titli lies over the land," the IMD said.
The system is now moving northeastwards towards Gangetic West Bengal across Odisha and it will weaken gradually, it said.
Many trees and electric poles have been uprooted and damage has also been caused to property in the area. However, there is no reports of loss of life so far.
The cyclone also triggered heavy to very heavy rainfall in Ganjam, Gajapati and Puri districts of Odisha, causing minor damage to power and communication.
"There has been no major damage or report of casualty received from any part of the state so far. Some destruction was reported from Ganjam and Gajapati districts," Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said.
All, eight districts — Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore — have been affected by "very severe cyclone Titli", he said.
An East Coast Railway (ECoR) official said train services remained suspended between Khurda Road and Vizianagram from both directions since 10 pm on Wednesday.
He said the Palasa station in Andhra Pradesh was damaged and railway officials will reach there shortly. Train services on the route are likely to resume by Thursday night, he added.
Three lakh people have been shifted to multi-purpose cyclone shelters from low line areas. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited the Special Relief Commissioner Control Room and directed to take all steps to make zero casualties. Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu is rushing to Srikakulam this afternoon to take stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force, NDRF has deployed 14 teams in Odisha, four teams in Andhra and three teams in West Bengal along with necessary rescue equipment.
(Featured Image: Skymet Weather)
