Titli weakens, leaves 9 dead in India
Cyclone Titli killed at least eight people in Andhra Pradesh and one in Odisha of India leaving a trail of destruction in both the states.
Titli made landfall as a very severe cyclonic storm on Thursday with the wind speed of up to 150 kmph. The cyclone has now weakened and is moving towards North East direction.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and assured them all possible help to deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Titli.
“Spoke to Shri @ncbn Ji and Shri @Naveen_Odisha Ji regarding the situation arising due to cyclone-related conditions in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Assured all possible help from the Centre,” the prime minister tweeted.
President Ram Nath Kovind said he is confident that local authorities and relief agencies will rise to the occasion to help fellow citizens. “Thoughts with families, especially children, in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh who have affected by Cyclone Titli. Confident local authorities and relief agencies will rise to occasion to help fellow citizens. The entire nation is with you,” he tweeted.
Traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway was hit after uprooted trees blocked some sections of the road.
The South Central Railway and the East Coast Railway cancelled several trains while some were terminated midway, officials said, adding a few express trains were also diverted.
Train services between Khurda Road in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh also remained suspended since 10 pm Wednesday.
A total of eight districts in Odisha -- Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore -- were affected by Cyclone Titli, Special Relief Commissioner BP Sethi told news agency PTI.
Thirteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force, as well as personnel from the fire brigade, remain deployed in several areas of Odisha as the state stares at a possible flood situation.
Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, more than 3,000 people from highly vulnerable areas have been evacuated to safety while over 1,000 houses were damaged in the cyclone. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reached Srikakulam late Thursday night and reviewed the situation with the district authorities.
The road network suffered extensive damage in Srikakulam district, while the power distribution network was also vastly affected.
More than 2,000 electric poles were uprooted by strong winds.
Titli’s effect was also seen in Jharkhand where areas neighbouring Odisha experienced rainfall. Ranchi and Jamshedpur were among the areas that experienced rain.
A moderate to heavy rainfall alert remains in effect for Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Seraikela, West Singhbhum, Khuti and some other districts.
Source: India Today
