The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has issued an alert to all District Collectors of coastal district to stay prepared for a possible cyclone over the Bay of Bengal.

The Special Relief Commissioner and Managing Director of the OSDMA Pradeep Kumar Jena had issued several instructions to the collector of 18 districts of Odisha namely, Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, and Kandhamal.

In the advisory, Jena stated "Keeping in view a possible cyclone over the Bay of Bengal, as per the latest IMD guidelines, all preparedness measures are required to be undertaken well in advance to reduce the impacts of the cyclone."

Meanwhile, the satellite phone, digital mobile radio communication systems have already been established in six coastal districts under the Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) project.

In the advisory, he also asked the collectors to identify all vulnerable people and shift them to safe shelters. He suggested them to prepare a detailed evacuation plan for people living in kutcha houses or living near the coast or in low lying areas.

He asserted that all cyclone and flood shelters should be immediately checked by local Block Development Officer (BDO) and said that they should keep a check over water supply, functional toilets, generator, inflatable tower light, mechanical cutters and other equipment available in shelters.

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