Rajnath Singh speaks to CMs of Odisha, Andhra on cyclone preparedness

With cyclone 'Hudhud' fast approaching the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today spoke to the chief ministers of the three states on the steps being taken to deal with the situation.

Singh, who is in the middle of election campaigning, spoke to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and asked him about the preparedness to meet the challenges that could be posed by the cyclone.

Patnaik sought satellite phones following which Singh asked Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami to ensure quick supplies of the phones which could be used in case high-speed winds disturbed the telecommunication system.

Recently, flash floods in Kashmir Valley had seen disruption of telecommunication system.

The Home Minister later spoke to Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana N Chandrababu Naidu and K C Rao respectively regarding their preparedness to face the fast approaching cyclone 'Hudhud'.

The Home Minister assured the Chief Ministers all help from the Centre.

"The Centre is closely monitoring the progression of 'Hudhud' which is expected to hit the coast in the next 24 hrs," Singh said.

Met reports suggested the 'very severe cyclonic storm" is likely to hit Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast by October 12 and unleash heavy rainfall and gusty winds with speed up to 155 kmph.

Hudhud will be the second major cyclone after Phailin, which hit the eastern coast in October last year. While Phailin, which was also a 'very severe cyclonic storm' saw winds gusting up to 210-220 kmph, Hudhud may not be as severe as Phailin.

Met department has predicted that 'heavy rainfall' to 'very heavy rainfall' at few places would commence over Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts of North coastal Andhra and Ganjam, Puri and Khurda districts of Odisha from October 11.

An NDRF battalion each comprising 1150 personnel in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh is on standy. Four teams (one team comprises 55 personnel) of the force have left for Visakhapatnam and they would be further repositioned based on the request made by the two state governments.