Authorities in Odisha continued their efforts to evacuate people from the low-laying areas of the coast to cyclone shelters and high rise buildings.
Special relief commissioner Pradeep Kumar Mohapatra said about three lakh people have been moved to safety and more people were likely to be shifted.
Mohapatra told IANS the wind speed was picking up in several areas. In Ganjam, it has reached 60-80 km/h and the sea was witnessing high tide.
The cyclone, which is expected to make landfall in Gopalpur area of Ganjam district, is likely to cause damage in the coastal district of Ganjam, Gajapati, Khordha, Puri and Jagatsinghpur. Many other districts were also likely to be affected by heavy rains and flooding.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at most places. Some places may witness extremely heavy falls of about 25 centimeters, the weather office said.
Eighteen fishermen, who went for fishing in the Bay of Bengal in a trawler over a week ago, were stranded in the sea in Astaranga area of Puri district. The Coast Guard has been told to rescue them, police told IANS.
Many low laying areas were inundated due to heavy rains. Similarly, road communications have been disrupted in some places of Ganjam and Jagatsinghpur districts. Power lines have also hit.
The state government said food grain and other essential commodities have been stocked in cyclone relief centres. People taking shelter in these centres were provided cooked food.
Relief and rescue officials have reached vulnerable places. At least 28 teams of NDRF would be pressed into relief and rescue work, and 20 of them have reached the vulnerable area.
About 10 choppers have been kept in West Bengal for air dropping relief materials as the Bhubaneswar airport may be affected by the rough weather.
Over 64,000 people were evacuated from low lying areas near the coast in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts in Andhra Pradesh. Authorities went on high alert in all nine coastal districts.
Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation N. Raghuveera Reddy, who reached Visakhapatnam, told reporters that the army, navy and NDRF were on standby and helicopters were ready for rescue work.
NDRF teams have reached Srikakulam district, which is receiving heavy rains since Friday night, inundating several low-lying villages.
Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea.
Railways have cancelled all trains in north coastal Andhra including the trains between Andhra and Odisha. Air services between Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar have also been suspended.
