Cyclone Montha approaching: Mass evacuation drive begins across vulnerable areas in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Sunday began large-scale evacuations from vulnerable coastal and hilly areas and deployed 128 disaster response teams as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of a cyclonic storm forming in the Bay of Bengal by Monday morning.

In its 9 p.m. bulletin, the IMD said a deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal has moved west-northwestwards and lies centred about 790 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and 900 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha). The system is expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm within 12 hours and further strengthen into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28.

“It is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada during the evening or night of October 28 as a severe cyclonic storm,” the IMD said. Wind speeds are expected to reach 90–100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph during landfall, according to Dr Manorama Mohanty, Director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre.

Though landfall is projected around Kakinada, approximately 200 km from Odisha’s Malkangiri, 15 districts of the state are anticipated to be affected by heavy rain and strong winds. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said ‘red warnings’ predicting extremely heavy rainfall and winds up to 80 kmph were issued for Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, and Kalahandi districts.

Over 5,000 personnel from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Fire Services have been deployed across eight high-risk districts. The government has instructed all districts to stay on alert with rescue machinery ready in case the cyclone’s path shifts.

“Since landslides have become a new challenge for Odisha, additional measures are in place in vulnerable hilly regions,” Pujari said, noting that evacuations of residents, including sadhus, pregnant women, and the elderly, are underway. Gajapati District Collector Madhumita said 139 areas prone to landslides have been identified, recalling that 12 people were killed in similar incidents during Cyclone Titli in 2018.

Fishermen have been barred from venturing into the sea until October 29, and those already at sea are being urged to return. District administrations have cancelled staff leave, while Anganwadi centres and schools will remain closed through October 30. The Puri administration has also prohibited tourist entry to the sea beaches from October 27 to 29.

Rainfall is expected to intensify on October 28 and 29, the IMD said, as Distant Cautionary Signal No. 1 has been hoisted at all Odisha ports.

With inputs from PTI