Vijayawada: Cyclone Fani lay less than 1,000 km from the south AP coast on Monday, amid indications that it could head towards the Odisha coast after May 1.
According to latest information available, intensify into a severe cyclonic storm later in the day and into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours. At that stage it will be carrying winds of 180 kmph.
The IMD said Cyclone Fani was likely move northwestwards till May 1 and thereafter curve north-northeastwards towards the Odisha coast.
On Monday, Cyclone Fani lay 620 km east-northeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 810 km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 950 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam.
In Vijayawada, Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam reviewed the situation with the departments concerned and briefed Union Cabinet secretary P.K. Sinha. He said the government had made arrangements to update the people on the movement of the cyclone by using social media.
He said control rooms had been started in the nine coastal districts of the state. Personnel were making public announcements through drums beating in the coastal villages to alert the people.
