Puri: With the IMD making it official that JAWAD will make a landfall somewhere in Puri on Sunday, the district administration is on its toes.
Collector Samarth Verma said all fishermen are back on the shore and relief materials are stocked in the cyclone shelters.
Priority is to shift the pregnant women, senior citizens, persons with disabilities and children first and then go forward with complete evacuation, he said.
Many people living in the low lying areas and close to the coast have been already shifted to temporary shelters and the process of evacuation is on.
The NDRF, ODRAF and Fire Service teams are deployed to meet any exigencies in the aftermath of the cyclone which is very likely to hit land during noon on December 5.
“As per the advisory from the SRC office, the wind speed will be around 100 to 110 kmph. We are taking no chances and are preparing well with the mission of ‘zero casualty’,” said Verma.
Two and a half years back, in May 2019, Puri was battered by extremely severe cyclone FANI, and the winter cyclone in Bay of Bengal JAWAD is going to hit the coast once again somewhere in the district.