Cyclone Montha: All 32 flights from Vizag Airport cancelled, Odisha opens over 2,000 shelters | 10 points

Ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Montha, all 32 flights operating out of Visakhapatnam Airport were cancelled on Tuesday. Visakhapatnam Airport Director N Purushottam said two Air India Express flights were cancelled on October 27. "Actually, we are operating 30 to 32 movements (flights) daily, domestic as well as international. Today, all those flights are cancelled," Purushottam told PTI.

Cyclone Montha: Check latest developments so far

1. Apart from the two cancelled Air India Express flights on Monday, the rest of the 30 flights had operated on October 27. Further, Visakhapatnam Airport Director N Purushottam said the airport has taken precautions to shield it from the severe cyclonic storm as per the Airports Authority of India (AAI) guidelines, covering pre-cyclone and post-cyclone phases.
2. Likewise, Vijayawada Airport has cancelled 16 flights today, but managed to operate five flights. "Yesterday (Monday) there was only one flight cancellation to Vizag. But today, 16 flights were cancelled to various destinations, including Delhi, Mumbai, across the country," said Vijayawada Airport Director Lakshmikanth Reddy.
3. Meanwhile, 120 trains were cancelled in total on October 27 and Tuesday across the South Central Railway (SCR) Zone, said a railway official.
4. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said his government was well prepared to face the challenges posed by cyclone 'Montha' and has opened over 2,000 disaster relief centres in eight southern districts for people likely to be impacted by the severe cyclonic storm.
5. He said 11,396 people have shifted to 2,048 disaster relief centres opened by the state government. Majhi said this after reviewing the preparedness of the state government at a high-level meeting attended by Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, DGP Y B Khurania and other senior officials.
6. "As per IMD forecast, 'Montha' will make landfall in Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha will certainly be impacted. The state will receive extremely heavy rainfall and comparatively less intense wind," Majhi said.
7. He said that evacuation of people from low-lying areas and hilly terrain is still continuing in vulnerable places of eight districts, such as Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal.
8. Of the identified 2,693 pregnant women, as many as 1,871 would be mothers, have so far been shifted to hospitals and another batch of 822 women in the advance stage of pregnancy would be brought to the health centre by Tuesday evening, the CM said.
9. Majhi said the state government has further augmented preparedness by deploying 153 rescue teams in the possible impact districts. More than 6,000 well-trained and skilled personnel of NDRF (5 teams), ODRAF (30 teams) and Fire Service (123 teams) have already taken position in different districts.
10. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the Indian Coast Guard has scanned the Bay of Bengal and confirmed that there are no fishing or any other vessels in the sea under the impact of cyclone Montha.