Cyclone Hudhud will affect Eastern Uttar Pradesh, says met department

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Uttar Pradesh on Sunday predicted that Cyclone Hudhud, that has severely affected Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, will even affect the far-away regions of the Eastern parts of the state. "The cyclone will also affect parts of UP. The effects will predominantly be seen on October 13 and 14 in the eastern parts of the state and will be of heavy to severely heavy rainfall," Director IMD UP JP Gupta told ANI.

"The districts which are likely to be affected include Varanasi, Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Sultahnpur, Azamgarh, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Gorakhpur, among others," he added. The eye of Cyclone Hudhud crossed the coast of between Vishakhapatnam and Bheemilipatnam at 11.30 am. The cyclone had been moving at a speed of approximately 20 kmph with wind speeds of 180 kmph. The winds reduced considerably as the eye of the storm passed over the region. However, the rainfall is likely to continue for next 24 hours.

The Eastern Naval Command had been put on high alert to provide any assistance towards rescue and relief of affected persons. Towards this end the preparations made included readying ships, aircraft and diving teams. Indian Naval Ships Ranjit, Shivalik, Shakti and Airavat are ready to sail with relief material for 5000 personnel embarked onboard the ships. Additionally, four more ships have been kept ready for sailing at short notice for relief operations as required. Two Dornier fixed wing aircraft and six helicopters are also ready for deployment and one Long range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft (P 8I) has also kept standby for carrying out damage assessment once the cyclone passes and wind speeds reduce.