Bhubaneswar: As the Severe Cyclonic Storm Yaas made landfall between Bhadrak and Balasore in Odisha on Wednesday morning, the Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) warned the people of Mayurbhanj district to exercise extreme caution for the next 12 hours.
Briefing on Cyclone Yaas’ path of destruction, SRC Pradeep Jena said, “While the cyclone crossed the eastern coast this afternoon, it is heading towards the interior parts including Mayurbhanj. And the next 12 hours are most crucial for the district.”
“The district, especially the Similipal and Karanjia area has already received extremely heavy rainfall on Wednesday. So a flash flood in Budhabalang river cannot be ruled out,” Jena said.
Cyclone Yaas LIVE Updates: All you need to know
“In view of the very heavy rainfall and a possible flash flood, I have instructed the district Collector of Mayurbhanj to evacuate people from the low lying areas to nearby shelters,” he added.
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Updating on the restoration works, Jena said that Nilagiri in Balasore saw a large number of trees uprooted in the severe wind that clocked at around 130 – 140 kmph. However, the electrical infrastructure has remained largely unaffected.
It is pertinent to mention here that, the IMD has already warned that Mayurbhanj would bear the brunt of Yaas as the cyclone will move towards Jharkhand through Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj in the evening of Wednesday.
As per the IMD’s prediction, wind speed in the district is likely to rise to a maximum of 120 kmph on Wednesday evening.