Cyclone Titli hits coastal Odissa accompanied with strong winds and heavy rain. “Titli” which means Butterfly in Hindi struck the beach town of Gopalpur between 4:30 and 5:30 this morning. Trees and electric poles were uprooted along with flights and trains services between Andhra and Odissa have also been affected. IndiGo Airline has cancelled five flights to and from Bhubaneswar. 

The Met department said the cyclone hit the coast with a speed of 140 to 150 kmph. It has been categorized as a severe cyclonic storm and now moving towards West Bengal but is expected to weaken gradually with decreasing wind speed.

Special Relief Commissioner BP Sethi said, There has been no major damage or report of casualty received from any part of the state so far. Some destruction was reported from Ganjam and Gajapati districts.

The uprooted trees at several places of Gajapati district led to the disruption of the power supply and telephone links. Road lines were snapped and damages are also caused to mud houses. Five districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda and Jagatsinghpur are receiving heavy rainfall coupled with high-speed winds.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, analysed the situation and asked the collectors of Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, Kendrapara and Jagtsinghpur districts to go for an immediate evacuation of people in low-lying areas in the coastal belt.

The people who have been moved out of their homes have been accommodated in shelters. Pregnant women have been shifted to hospitals

However, the Odisha government said it is prepared to face possible floods due to heavy rain.