Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
Cyclone alert in Krishna district
K.N. Murali Sankar
MACHILIPATNAM: The Krishna district administration has been put on high alert with the Meteorological Department indicating that the cyclone ?Laila' might turn off the coast anywhere between Nellore and Kakinada and possibly at Machilipatnam around 3 a.m. on Thursday.
Even if the cyclone crosses the coast, its impact is expected to continue till the early hours of Friday. Evacuation of people residing along the coast in all the seven mandals of the district was in progress on Wednesday and plans were afoot to shift about 15,000 people residing in 83 villages to 200 relief camps set up on a war footing by late on Wednesday.
Strong gales
?The velocity of gales is about 105 km per hour now. It may reach even 155 km per hour by the time the cyclone hits the coast.
?To mitigate the loss, we are focusing on evacuating people residing about 3 km to 5 km away from the sea shore,? said Peeyush Kumar, Krishna district Collector, while reviewing the arrangements for relief and rehabilitation in the evening.
The focus was more on people residing in semi-permanent and thatched houses, which might get damaged completely due to the gales. Three teams from the National Disaster Management Response Force descended here with required equipment to rescue people.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/20/stories/2010052062080600.htm
?Laila' disrupts oil and gas production
Staff Reporter
KAKINADA: The cyclonic storm ?Laila' caused partial suspension of oil and gas production in Krishna ? Godavari basin starting from Tuesday morning itself.
Personnel manning all private and government private installations have been reduced to the bare minimum and rigs are placed in safe mode with all emergency controls kept in top gear.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) suspended oil drilling operations as a precautionary measure resulting in the production coming down by 32,000 barrels of oil per day. Three rigs have been diverted to safe locations.
Gas flow has been reduced by 8 million metric standard cubic meters per day due to the operational difficulty, according to reliable sources. RIL's floating, production, storage and offloading vessel is also reportedly de ? linked for bringing it back to the shore.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) suspended its operations from four rigs, two of them chartered, and the crew members have been evacuated from the off ? shore installations, according to official sources.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/20/stories/2010052062380600.htm
High alert for Cyclone Laila in West Bengal coastal areas
Ananya Dutta
It may turn towards the State after reaching Andhra
A red alert has been sounded; fishermen warned not to venture out into the sea
Alert comes about a year after cyclone Aila devastated parts of coastal West Bengal
KOLKATA: The coastal areas of West Bengal have been put on high alert and evacuation plans have been readied for any eventuality. Weather department reports have suggested that cyclone Laila may move towards Orissa and West Bengal once it enters Andhra Pradesh, officials said here on Wednesday.
A red alert has been sounded for the region. Announcements are being made over loudspeakers warning fishermen not to venture into the sea and asking those who are at sea to return.
The people in the areas identified as particularly vulnerable have also been warned that emergency evacuations may be carried out, said M. L. Meena, Secretary of the State's Disaster Management Department.
The alert comes about a year after cyclone Aila which had devastated parts of coastal West Bengal. Vast stretches of land had remained inundated for months rendering the soil infertile, particularly in the islands of the Sunderbans. The inhabitants of the islands, who are yet to overcome the full impact of Aila, are apprehensive of the damage that Laila may cause.
?The situation is being continuously reviewed. A high-level meeting convened by the State Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta was held on Wednesday evening and the situation will again be reviewed at 1 p.m. on Thursday,? Mr. Meena said.
Even as district authorities have been directed to be ready for any eventuality, relief material of 900 metric tonnes of rice and 4.5 lakh tarpaulin sheets have already been despatched, he added.
?Currently cyclone Laila is over the Bay of Bengal and moving in a northwest direction. It is expected that it will strengthen and make landfall on Thursday morning at Machilipatnam on the Andhra Pradesh coastline. Once it reaches land it may change its direction and move north-eastward towards the coast of Orissa and West Bengal,? said G.C. Debnath, director of the weather section of the Regional Meteorological Department.
?We have already started making announcements to alert the people and fishermen. So far the situation has not arisen, but if the need for evacuations comes up, we are fully prepared,? said Nilanjan Shandilya, a government official of South 24-Parganas district, one of the worst affected by cyclone Aila.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/20/stories/2010052062380600.htm
K.N. Murali Sankar
MACHILIPATNAM: The Krishna district administration has been put on high alert with the Meteorological Department indicating that the cyclone ?Laila' might turn off the coast anywhere between Nellore and Kakinada and possibly at Machilipatnam around 3 a.m. on Thursday.
Even if the cyclone crosses the coast, its impact is expected to continue till the early hours of Friday. Evacuation of people residing along the coast in all the seven mandals of the district was in progress on Wednesday and plans were afoot to shift about 15,000 people residing in 83 villages to 200 relief camps set up on a war footing by late on Wednesday.
Strong gales
?The velocity of gales is about 105 km per hour now. It may reach even 155 km per hour by the time the cyclone hits the coast.
?To mitigate the loss, we are focusing on evacuating people residing about 3 km to 5 km away from the sea shore,? said Peeyush Kumar, Krishna district Collector, while reviewing the arrangements for relief and rehabilitation in the evening.
The focus was more on people residing in semi-permanent and thatched houses, which might get damaged completely due to the gales. Three teams from the National Disaster Management Response Force descended here with required equipment to rescue people.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/20/stories/2010052062080600.htm
?Laila' disrupts oil and gas production
Staff Reporter
KAKINADA: The cyclonic storm ?Laila' caused partial suspension of oil and gas production in Krishna ? Godavari basin starting from Tuesday morning itself.
Personnel manning all private and government private installations have been reduced to the bare minimum and rigs are placed in safe mode with all emergency controls kept in top gear.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) suspended oil drilling operations as a precautionary measure resulting in the production coming down by 32,000 barrels of oil per day. Three rigs have been diverted to safe locations.
Gas flow has been reduced by 8 million metric standard cubic meters per day due to the operational difficulty, according to reliable sources. RIL's floating, production, storage and offloading vessel is also reportedly de ? linked for bringing it back to the shore.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) suspended its operations from four rigs, two of them chartered, and the crew members have been evacuated from the off ? shore installations, according to official sources.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/20/stories/2010052062380600.htm
High alert for Cyclone Laila in West Bengal coastal areas
Ananya Dutta
It may turn towards the State after reaching Andhra
A red alert has been sounded; fishermen warned not to venture out into the sea
Alert comes about a year after cyclone Aila devastated parts of coastal West Bengal
KOLKATA: The coastal areas of West Bengal have been put on high alert and evacuation plans have been readied for any eventuality. Weather department reports have suggested that cyclone Laila may move towards Orissa and West Bengal once it enters Andhra Pradesh, officials said here on Wednesday.
A red alert has been sounded for the region. Announcements are being made over loudspeakers warning fishermen not to venture into the sea and asking those who are at sea to return.
The people in the areas identified as particularly vulnerable have also been warned that emergency evacuations may be carried out, said M. L. Meena, Secretary of the State's Disaster Management Department.
The alert comes about a year after cyclone Aila which had devastated parts of coastal West Bengal. Vast stretches of land had remained inundated for months rendering the soil infertile, particularly in the islands of the Sunderbans. The inhabitants of the islands, who are yet to overcome the full impact of Aila, are apprehensive of the damage that Laila may cause.
?The situation is being continuously reviewed. A high-level meeting convened by the State Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta was held on Wednesday evening and the situation will again be reviewed at 1 p.m. on Thursday,? Mr. Meena said.
Even as district authorities have been directed to be ready for any eventuality, relief material of 900 metric tonnes of rice and 4.5 lakh tarpaulin sheets have already been despatched, he added.
?Currently cyclone Laila is over the Bay of Bengal and moving in a northwest direction. It is expected that it will strengthen and make landfall on Thursday morning at Machilipatnam on the Andhra Pradesh coastline. Once it reaches land it may change its direction and move north-eastward towards the coast of Orissa and West Bengal,? said G.C. Debnath, director of the weather section of the Regional Meteorological Department.
?We have already started making announcements to alert the people and fishermen. So far the situation has not arisen, but if the need for evacuations comes up, we are fully prepared,? said Nilanjan Shandilya, a government official of South 24-Parganas district, one of the worst affected by cyclone Aila.
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/20/stories/2010052062380600.htm