Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alert - India (Andhra Pradesh & Orissa) 1/2000 Another Cyclone on its Way . . . Geneva, 17 October 2000
ACT member, Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) reports that Orissa and Andhra Pradesh are braced for another crisis as a depression in the Bay of Bengal, formed on Sunday morning about 650 kms off Visakhapatnam, blew up into a severe cyclonic storm on Monday, 16 October, and is headed towards the mainland in a west, north-westerly direction. The Orissa and Andhra coasts are likely to be buffeted by gale strength winds in the next 48 hours. A cyclone warning has been sounded for the Andhra coast and a close watch is being maintained along the Orissa coast, though it is not certain where and when the storm will hit. The entire coastal region in Orissa has remained cloudy for the last 24 hours and wind speeds in Jagatsinghpur last night touched 50-60 km per hour, but no damage has yet been reported. Heavy rainfall has been recorded in Paradip and Puri. Ganjam district bordering Andhra Pradesh has been put on maximum alert. Weather forecasts warn of very heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of Srikakulam. Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, east Godavari, west Godavari, Krishna, Nellore, Prakasam and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh over the next 48 hours. The Andhra and Orissa state governments are alerted and district officials have kept food, medicines, vehicles and fire tenders ready. The Defence Ministry has been requested to provide helicopters for relief and rescue operations. Trained Home Guards, volunteers of the civil defence and NGOs are being geared up to help the state administration. CASA relief teams are on full alert and the Chief Zonal Officer of East Zone is already in Bhubaneshwar with the CASA Director on his way. Relief material is being pre-stocked and packed ready to be loaded on trucks for immediate movement to the areas affected. The situation report given above has been taken from print media reports. CASA will send more first-hand information from the field to ACT on Wednesday. The latest information from ACT member Lutheran World Service India Programme states that the winds have veered in a northerly direction towards Bangladesh. They are continuing to monitor the situation and will keep this office informed. Thank you for your attention. For further information please contact: ACT Co-ordinator, Thor-Arne Prois (phone ++41 22 791 6033 or mobile phone ++ 41 79 203 6055) or ACT Appeals Officer, Neville Pradhan (phone ++41 22 791 6035 or mobile phone ++ 41 79 285 2916) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Action by Churches Together (ACT) is a worldwide alliance of churches and their related agencies, meeting human need through co-ordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ecumenical Centre Phone: ++41-22-791.60.33 150, route de Ferney Fax: ++41-22-791.65.06 1211 Geneva 2 Telex: 415 730 OIK CH Switzerland http://www.act-intl.org distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -