Cyclone Fani: Odisha govt to evacuate 1.15 million people to safer zones

As many as 25 NDRF teams have been deployed in the vulnerable districts

Odisha is moving 1.15 million people from the impact zone of cyclonic storm Fani making it the largest ever evacuation operation in the country. The state had moved 900,000 people from vulnerable areas when tropical cyclone Phailin had hit the state in 2013, just a shade below the previous record set by Andhra Pradesh.  

By this evening, the state had moved about 800,000 people to safer locations from the vulnerable pockets as cyclone Fani moved at a quicker pace towards the Puri coast for landfall on Friday morning likely between 8 am and 10 am.

The entire evacuation operation encompassing