Cyclone 'Michaung' to hit Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu coasts; 21 NDRF teams deployed

-

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) announced on Sunday that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has sent out 21 teams for rescue and relief operations in anticipation of Cyclone “Michaung,” which is predicted to make landfall on the west-central Bay of Bengal off the coasts of south Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring north Tamil Nadu by December 4 forenoon.

The inputs were presented earlier on Sunday at the second NCMC meeting, which was chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. Reviewing state governments’ and federal ministries’ and departments’ readiness for the approaching cyclone “Michaung” in the Bay of Bengal was the purpose of the conference.

The committee was briefed by the Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on the current state of cyclonic storm “Michaung”.

“The cyclonic storm over the southwest Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of nine kmph during the past six hours and lay centred at 4.30 pm on Sunday over the same region near latitude 11.8 degrees North and longitude 82.2 degrees East, about 260 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 250 km southeast of Chennai, 380 km south-southeast of Nellore, 490 km south-southeast of Bapatla and 500 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam,” IMD Director General informed the NCMC.

Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Puducherry and Special Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Andhra Pradesh apprised the committee of the preparatory measures being taken.

The committee was informed that low-lying areas have been identified and evacuation of people to relief centers has started. Alerts are being issued in local languages through SMS and weather bulletins. Fishermen and vessels at sea have returned to safety.

“Essential commodities have been stocked. The local administration has deployed a sufficient number of officials for 24/7 supervision and monitoring of the situation,” mentioned the statement.

The NDRF has deployed 21 teams in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry and eight additional teams have been kept in reserve. Rescue and relief teams of the Coast Guard, Army and Navy along with ships and aircraft have been kept on standby, it further said.

Reviewing preparedness measures of the central agencies and governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Puducherry, the Cabinet Secretary stressed that all preventive and precautionary measures should be taken.

“He said that the aim should be to avoid any loss of life and minimize property damage. Evacuation should be completed timely. He also directed that timely alerts should be sent in local languages,” pointed out the statement.

The Cabinet Secretary directed the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Indian Coast Guard that all boats/ vessels and manpower deployed at offshore installations should be moved to risk-free areas immediately.

He assured the Governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Puducherry that a sufficient number of NDRF teams shall be deployed as per requirement and all Central agencies are available for any assistance.

The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Puducherry, the Special Chief Secretary, of Revenue and Disaster Management, Andhra Pradesh, the Union Home Secretary, Secretary, of the Department of Fisheries, the Secretary, of the Ministry of Power, Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Additional Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Member Secretary NDMA, DG IMD, DG Coast Guard, CISC IDS, IG NDRF and senior officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The first NCMC meeting was conducted on December 1.

(With agency inputs)



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/i7Wm0FX
Ajeyo Basu

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more