Bhubaneswar: The very severe cyclonic storm over west central bay, which lay centred at 650 km South West of Paradip at 14:30 hours on May 14, was moving towards northerly direction, according to the cyclone warning centre.

The system was likely to continue in the same direction and move towards the north Andhra Pradesh and Orissa coast, the sources said.

The Orissa government had on May 13 alerted the collectors of 12 districts including those on the coastal plains to gear up to meet the situation if the storm headed towards the state.

There is no reason for the people to panic. The government was fully prepared to meet the situation, the Revenue minister, Biswabhushan Harichandan said.

The weather office has warned that under the influence of the system heavy to very heavy rainfall with gale force wind was likely to commence over coastal Orissa over the next 24 hours.

Aurobindo Behera, managing director of the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA), set up in the aftermath of the 1999 super cyclone, said all precautionary steps had been taken to meet the situation.

If the reports suggested that it could hit the coast, people living in low-lying areas would be shifted to cyclone shelters built in the coastal region, he said.

PTI