Cyclone Roanu approaching fast, alert sounded; fishermen advised to stay off high seas

A high alert has been sounded in the region and fishermen have been advised to stay off high seas.

Berhampur: With Cyclone Roanu stationed just 120 km away from Gopalpur, people living near seaside in Odisha are worried about the rough sea and the possible damage.

The fishermen of seaside villages in Ganjam, Puri, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are worried about the very rough condition of the sea and are reliving the devastation caused by Cyclone Phailin in 2013 and Hudhud in 2014.

When the news came that the cyclonic storm Roanu will pass through Gopalpur in the district and high tidal waves were witnessed in the sea, fishermen of Podampeta, Nuagaon and several other villages returned from the sea yesterday morning.

As a precautionary measure, the fishermen anchored their boats in safer places.

"We have also brought the boats and nets from the beach close to our houses apprehending the cyclone," said Ch Chinneya, a fisherman of Podampeta village.

"We are panicked on hearing the term cyclone. We had faced two cyclones like Phailin and Hudhud since 2013. Memories of the devastation caused by the Phailin still haunt us," P Krishan, a fisherman in Podampeta said.

The Phailin which had landfall near Gopalpur on October 13, 2013, had devastated the district claiming the lives of 17 people.

Hudhud which had landfall near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in 2014, however, had not caused much damage in Ganjam district but had extensive impact in Gajapati district.

Ruling out intensity of this cyclone like the Phailin and Hudhud, Ganjam district collector P Ch Choudhary said, "Under its influence, the district may face heavy rainfall."

"Since this is summer and river and nullahs are dry, the rain will not trigger flood situation," he said.