Brahmapur, Bhubaneswar, Srikakulam: 9:25 pm: The death toll rises to 18. Around 1.2 crore people were affected by the cyclone.
9:05 pm: Cyclone Philian weakens further, turns into "deep depression" with windspeed of 45-55 kmph, says IMD.
8:05 pm: Death toll rises to 17.
5:19 pm: Death toll rises to 14 as 13 people have died in Odisha and one in Andhra Pradesh. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself is monitoring rescue and rehabilitation work. Eight Army columns in Odisha and 4 in Andhra are helping with restarting road connectivity. Power grid, NTPC and NHPC are working with the state government to restore transmission.
The Cabinet Secretary concludes meeting of crisis management group on cyclone situation.
4:30 pm: East Coast Railway spokesperson says train services restored between Howrah and Puri section.
3:25 pm: Patnaik said that the situation had improved considerably from the cyclone that took place 14 years back in 1999 and added that it was the government's preparedness which had payed off while dealing with cyclone Phailin.
3:21 pm: Patnaik said that Ganjam district has been severely hit with over 2 lakh kutcha houses being damaged. However, he said that relief and rehabilitation work is underway.
3:20 pm: Speaking to CNN-IBN, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the district administration did a commendable job to limit the damage from cyclone Phailin.
1:20 pm: Two more deaths have been reported in Odisha, toll rises to nine.
11:17 pm: Patnaik called the rehabilitation in the state a big challenge as property worth several crores had been lost. However, he assured that the impact of the cyclone will die down and normalcy will come soon. He also added that their primary responsibility was to protect lives which has been done successfully.
1:15 pm: Patnaik said they over 9 lakh people have been successfully evacuated in what is being termed as one of the largest evacuation operations in the country. He thanked people from all walks of life for their help and support. "I thank all elected representatives specially the Sarpanches for effectively helping people. I also thank government employees for their selfless service," he said. He also said that he was happy that media informed the public in time and made them aware of the situation.
1:10 pm: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that there has been a severe loss of property in the cyclone. The CM assured that the administration is doing its best to complete rehabilitation work as soon as possible.
11:30 pm: Met department has issued warnings of floods in Bihar as heavy rains are expected in the state in the next 48 hours.
11:20 am: Heavy to very rains will continue in Odisha, Chattisgarh and West Bengal for another 24 hours, says IMD.
11:15 am: There has been 'zero' loss of life in cyclone Phailin as was targeted, says LK Rathore DG Cyclone Centre, IMD. He also added that the predictions relating to the cyclone have been correct which helped in evacuating people well in time.
10:48 am: "The Official casualty figure after landfall is 2," Cabinet Secretary Ajit Singh said. He also said that the railways tracks have not been damaged but train movements will start only after checking proper signals to ensure security.
10:45 am: Cabinet Secretary Ajit Singh on Sunday said that 4200 telecommunication base stations in Orissa and 100 in Andhra Pradesh have been affected by cyclone Phailin. "Central teams are working to restore them on urgent basis. Power stations are not much affected and distribution will start soon," he said.
10:30 am: More than 100 trains have been cancelled due to cyclone Phailin, said PRO Indian Railways Anil Saxena. 20 trains have been cancelled and 25 trains have been diverted partially. Saxena also said that the Indian railways is reviewing the situation through zonal and general managers and focusing on how to restore the traffic.
10:04 am: Rains to continue at orrisa, AP. Bihar, eastern UP and parts of WB also expected to experience rain for the next 24 hours. Cyclonic conditions still prevailing but it will reduce to heavy rain by the day
10:00 am: Wind speed is around 130-120kmph now. It's likely to come down further and touch 80-90. The intensity of the wind is expected to reduce further as the day progresses and is expected to reach 40-50 kmph by the evening
9:20 am: BJD MP Jay Panda has said that damage has been minimised in the districts affected by the cyclone due to early coordination between the government and armed forces. He also said the extent of damage has been contained by the systemic approach to cyclone Phailin as opposed to the super cyclone that hit in 1999 where over 11,000 casualties had been reported. He also added that major parts of southern areas are still cut off. The crops have also been severely affected. The assessment of damage, he said, is yet to be done.
9:15 am: NDMA Vice Chairman Shashidhar Reddy has said that a lot of trees have fallen, and kutchha houses and window panes have been damaged.
Reddy said that Phailin has weakened considerably. "It is expected to become a deep depression by 5:30 in the evening and thereafter be converted into a depression. Yet to receive reports regarding the assessment of the damage that has been done," he said.
9:10 am: NDMA Vice Chairman Shashidhar Reddy has said that the worst is over. He added that communication lines that were cut off in Ganjam and Gopalpur have been restored.
8:30 am: Met Department says 'Phalin' to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by noon on Sunday. Here is bulletin issued by Met department at 8:30 hours am on Sunday:
The very severe cyclonic storm, PHAILIN over Odisha moved northwards during past 3 hours
with a speed of 20 kmph and lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of 13th October 2013 over Odisha near latitude 20.00 N and longitude 84.50 E, close to Phulbani. The system would move northwards for some more time and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm by noon of today and into a deep depression by evening of today.
Estimated track and intensity of the system are given below:
Date/Time(IST) Position (Lat. 0N/ Long. 0E) Sustained maximum surface wind speed (kmph) Category
13-10-2013/0530 20.5/84.5 130-140 gusting to 150 Very Severe Cyclonic Storm
13-10-2013/1130 21.5/84.5 80-90 gusting to 100 Cyclonic Storm
13-10-2013/1730 22.3/84.8 50-60 gusting to 70 Deep Depression
13-10-2013/2330 23.5/85.2 40-50 gusting to 60 Depression
14-10-2013/0530 24.8/85.7 35-45 gusting to 55 Depression
Fierce cyclone Phailin continues to batter coastal areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh causing extensive damage to the property but till now there have been no reports of loss of human life.
Cyclone Phailin hit India's coast between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm near Gopalpur in Odisha with win speeds reaching 220 km per hour. Electricity supply was cut off to the worst-hit areas much before Phalin hit as poles were uprooted and the authorities also shut down the power system to minimise damage.
The wind speed of the cyclone reduced to about 170 km per hour giving hope of less damage and destruction. Even though it is too early to come to any conclusion, there have been no reports of massive destruction and death from the cyclone affected areas so far.
Earlier, the state governments of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh went into an overdrive and evacuated nearly 8 lakh people from areas lying directly in Phailin's path.
Seven people have lost their lives in storm related incidents but this was much before the cyclone made its landfall. Assessment about the loss of life and property is only expected to become clear after daybreak on Sunday.
Glasses were broken, and wood shreds flew moments after the severe cyclone slammed into Gopalpur beach. Many vehicles in Berhampore toppled by the effect of the strong winds about 45 minutes after the land fall of the cyclone.
The electricity supply that was cut off on Saturday night is yet to be restored across southern coast of Odisha and northern coast of Andhra Pradesh. Several trees have been uprooted and electricity poles have been snapped off.
Cyclone Phailin was expected to remain a "very severe cyclonic storm", packing winds of up to 210 kph, into Sunday before steadily weakening as it moves inland in the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The rescue operations have begun with Army columns and NDRF personnel spreading out across the region in helicopters and trucks.
Meanwhile, the ship that was caught in the choppy waters is sinking in Bay of Bengal. 18 crew members have been left stranded with the authorities saying that it is not possible to venture out in the water to rescue them.
Following are the helpline numbers: Odisha: 0674-2534177 District control room number: Mayurbhanj 06792-252759, Jajpur 06728-222648, Gajapati 06815-222943, Dhenkanal 06762-221376 Khurda 06755-220002, Keonjhar 06766-255437, Cuttak 0671-2507842, Ganjam 06811-263978, Puri 06752-223237, Kendrapara 06727-232803, Jagatsinghpur 06724-220368, Balasore 06782-262674, Bhadrak 06784-251881.####
Google crisis map: Cyclone Phailin
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