The authorities in Odisha have started evacuating people to safer places as Cyclone Hudhud, which is expected to have a landfall on Saturday night or early Sunday morning, has started gaining speed.
According to reports, around four lakh people are being evacuated due to the threat of cyclone.
"There is huge rainfall and the media is saying that the winds will start from tomorrow. Last year we faced Cyclone Phailin and we are terrorized now," said a local resident.
"We are scared of Hudhud. Last year also the cyclone came in October and this year also it's coming at the same time," added another local resident.
Rescue teams of the Indian Navy have been prepared for immediate deployment in anticipation of Cyclone Hudhud and the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters are also on standby duty to meet any emergency.
The National Crisis Management Committee ( NCMC) held a meeting in New Delhi today under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth and reviewed the preparedness for relief and rescue operations in the wake of the cyclonic storm 'Hudhud' advancing towards the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Officials in the two states said they had set up 24-hour emergency control rooms and cancelled the leave of civil servants working in high-risk areas. Nine of Andhra Pradesh's 13 districts and 16 of Odisha's 30 districts are on alert.
