Powerful Cyclone Fani Lashes India's Coastal State Odisha

Early this morning, Cyclone Fani made landfall in Odisha at a wind speed of 240 Km/Hr. This cyclone hit around 10,000 villages, 11 lakh people have already been evacuated from vulnerable and low lying area’s from at least 11 coastal districts. The severe cyclone has uprooted several trees and has swept away thatched roofs. This is by far the strongest cyclone to hit India after 2014. The MET department believes that the cyclone has weakened after hitting Odisha. It is likely to enter Bangladesh tomorrow evening.

Due to MET’s prediction; many people were evacuated before the cyclone actually hit Odisha. This natural disaster could have taken many lives, had it not been for the timely evacuation, which took place. The cyclone was reported on Thursday, May 2.

Along Odisha’s coast, 850 storm shelters have been made to house 1000 people each. At the very least 3 people have died, when last reported at 9:30am on May 3. Notably, people believe that this time, the country was much more prepared than it was in 1999, due to better infrastructure.

So how did Cyclone Fani get its name? Bangladesh had suggested this name, and it was chosen from a list given by several countries including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Oman, Myanmar, Maldives, India and Bangladesh. Fani means snake or the hood of a snake.

Interesting news: A baby born at the Bhubaneswar Railway Hospital has been named ‘Fani.’ This is because the baby was born just as the cyclone hit Odisha. The mother of the baby is a 32 year old railway employee who also works as a helper in the coach repair workshop.  Happy to say that the both the mother and the daughter are fine. The baby was born at 11:03am.

The situation for airline passengers is grave because the airport has been shut down and flights have been cancelled. Passengers are stranded and medical facilities have become scarce. However, the very fact that a woman was able to give birth despite all of that, in the midst of a cyclone is remarkable. The baby has been aptly named ‘Fani’.

Almost 50 towns still are in this destructive cyclone Fani’s path. The state has witnessed landslides, gale wind, severe thunderstorms and heavy rain leading to floods. Odisha is in need of help at the moment.

Read Also: Women and children prone to human trafficking in the aftermath of floods, warn aid workers

Pic credit: India Today

Kavya Shah is an intern at SheThePeople.Tv