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Updated: Oct 10, 2018 11:31 IST

A cyclonic storm, Titli, is building in the Bay of Bengal and moving towards the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast, the weather office warned on Tuesday.

The Met office also issued a red alert for the coastal areas of Odisha.

“Deep depression over Bay of Bengal intensifies into cyclonic storm Titli, is moving towards Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.

IMD officials in Bhubaneswar said the cyclonic storm lay centred some 520 kms away from Gopalpur but is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, which is likely to move west-northwards and will make a landfall in Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Gopalpur and Kalingapatnam on October 11.

The Met office sounded ‘Red’ warning for Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts as heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at these places from Wednesday, while ‘Orange’ alert has also been issued for Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Bhadrak and Balasore.

In view of the warning, the weather office have advised fishermen not to venture into the specified sectors of Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea during the next 3 to ­5 days.

Odisha asked the collectors of five districts to remain on high alert.

Special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi said with Titli now being upgraded to severe cyclonic storm with a sustained windspeed of 100-110 km per hour from Wednesday, collectors of Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara have also been asked to make necessary arrangements to shift people living in low-lying areas as there is a possibility of heavy rainfall from 8:30am on October 10 to October 11.

Since damage to thatched huts is expected over the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Khordha, Nayagarh and Puri, people living in such houses will also be evacuated to cyclone/flood shelters and other safe buildings.

All schools, colleges and anganwadis in Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri and Jagatsinghpur will be closed from Wednesday.

Sethi said fishermen along the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts have been advised not to venture into the sea. He said around 300 motor boats have been arranged to assist in rescue operation over a possible flood situation on October 10 and 11.

In another weather warning, the Joint Typhon Warning Centre of the United States said the potential of the development of ‘Titli’ into a significant tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours was very high.