<ul><li>The <keyword id="6375985" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Coast-Guard">Indian Coast Guard</keyword> is ready to start relief work in the eastern state of Odisha in India after <keyword id="7561057" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cyclone-fani">Cyclone Fani</keyword> made landfall in India today morning. </li><li>They have 34 disaster relief teams and 4 Coast Guard ships helping out. </li><li>The <keyword id="6355100" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Navy">Indian Navy</keyword> also has seven warships on the ground — 3 of which are keeping a watch on the eye of the storm. </li></ul> The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy are <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiaCoastGuard/status/1124174863470456833">standing by</a> to start rescue operations after Cyclone Fani made landfall in India today morning. The Indian Coast Guard has 34 disaster relief teams <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiaCoastGuard/status/1124013333076697089">on the ground</a> and four Coast Guard ships trailing the seas to conduct relief operations in coordination with the states authorities in Odisha to deal with the fall out of what is being seen as one of the most severe cyclonic storms to hit the east coast. 
	
 <div type="image" title="fani1" msid="69157684" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;One of the Indian Coast Guard&amp;#39;s relief teams preparing for relief operations in Odisha&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>





 The <a href="https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1123909181994676224">Indian Navy</a> said it had three of its seven warships deployed for Cyclone Fani keeping watch on the eye of the storm. 
	
 <div type="image" title="fani2" msid="69157732" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The roll of being experienced by one of the ships deployed by Indian Navy to keep an on the seas as Cyclone Fani moves up India&amp;#39;s east coast&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>





 Seven fixed aircraft and seven helicopters are on stand-by as well. The Navy also has Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), divers, rubberised crafts and medical teams ready to go. Another three naval ships — Sahyadri, Ranvi and Kadmatt — have been deployed off the coast of Odisha to launch rescue operations. 
	
 <div type="image" title="D5e4lRTU0AAL0jl" msid="69157758" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;INS Sahyadri puts out to sea quietly to provide assistance as Cylone Fani reaches the Indian coast&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>





 The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also sent in 50 teams to prepare onground before hand, getting equipment in and training the volunteers. 
	
 <div type="image" title="training" msid="69157814" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;NDRF Team assembles the new equipment and trains volunteer at Ganesharpur Cyclone Shelter, Balasore, Orissa&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>





 
 They were also seen evacuating the citizens from areas that are most prone to the effects of Cyclone Fani. 
	
 <div type="image" title="evacinpuri" msid="69157866" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;NDRF conducts door to door awareness and evacuation at Penthakata of Puri, Orissa&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>





 Over 1 million people have been evacuated from Odisha while 800,000 people have been cleared out in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cylcone-fanis-global-warming-seen-in-nasa-images/articleshow/69138876.cms">Cyclone Fani and the impact of global warming captured by NASA</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/this-live-simulation-of-cyclone-fani-shows-how-dangerously-close-it-to-indias-east-coast/articleshow/69143895.cms">This live simulation of Cyclone Fani shows how dangerously close it to India’s East coast</a>

Cyclone Fani rescue and relief efforts underway as Indian warships deployed to keep guard

(Eds: With details) Bhubaneswar, Jun 19 () Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 4,677 with 165 more people, including 11 disaster response personnel and four railway staff, testing positive for the viral infection, a state health department official said on Friday. The state also registered 153 recoveries, taking the total number of patients cured so far to 3,297, which is 70.49 per cent of the total cases. Of the 165 new cases, 140 were reported from quarantine centres where people returning from other states were lodged, while 25 were detected during contact tracing, he said. While the new cases include 11 personnel of the disaster response teams that were sent to neighbouring West Bengal for restoration work following Cyclone Amphan, four railway staff with travel history to Delhi also tested positive to the disease. All of them were either in institutional or home quarantine, the official said. The total number of disaster response personnel, including those from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and the Odisha Fire Service, infected with the disease has now increased to 206, he said, adding that the number of railway officials in Bhubaneswar afflicted with the virus has also risen to seven. However, 11 Fire Service personnel and 13 NDRF men have recovered and were discharged from a COVID-19 hospital in Cuttack, officials of the two organisations said. The new cases were reported from 17 districts, with the highest 41 cases from Ganjam -- the worst-affected district in Odisha. It has so far accounted for 796 COVID-19 cases and six of the 11 fatalities in the state, the official said. Apart from the 41 new cases in Ganjam, Gajapati recorded 28 fresh instances of the infection, Balasore 21 and Cuttack 20. Ganjam district administration said that 12 of the 41 new patients were frontline COVID-19 workers. Half of the 30 districts in the state have reported more than 100 cases each. Meanwhile, 153 patients have recovered from the disease, the highest of 43 from Cuttack district. Of the total 4,667 COVID-19 cases in the state, 1,366 are active while 3,297 patients have recovered, a health official said. Eleven people have died of the disease so far while three patients have died due to other ailments, he said. Odisha has tested a total of 2,16,607 samples so far, including 4,383 on Thursday. Meanwhile, an official statement said that as many as 5,67,968 people stranded elsewhere have returned to Odisha since May 3. They include 6,900 people who came back on Friday. The state government has already prepared 16,821 Temporary Medical Centres and Camps with 7,67 673 beds in 6,798 village panchayats to lodge migrant workers in rural areas, an official said. AAM RG NSD

Odisha reports 165 fresh COVID-19 cases, 153 people recover

(Eds: Adding details &amp; recoveries) Bhubaneswar, Jun 13 () Odisha on Saturday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases with 225 more people, including some police personnel, testing positive for the disease, taking the state's tally to 3,723, a Health Department official said. Of the fresh cases, 196 were reported from various quarantine centres, where people returning from other states were lodged, while 29 others were detected in contact-tracing exercises, he said. The maximum of 92 fresh cases was detected in Cuttack district, followed by 20 in Ganjam and 19 in Khurda. Puri district, which is preparing for the annual Rath Jatra of Lord Jagannath on June 23, also reported 15 cases. Cuttack district incidentally has the highest 186 active COVID case, followed by 128 in Ganjam in the state. Fifteen cases were found in Kandhamal, followed by 13 in Jagatsinghpur, 12 in Bolangir, nine in Mayurbhanj, seven each in Nayagarh and Dhenkanal, five in Bhadrak, four in Kendrapara, three in Kalahandi, two in Balasore and one each in Angul and Sundergarh. Officials said two senior police officers, including a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) and an inspector-in-charge (IIC) rank officer, were among the five police personnel who tested positive for the deadly virus. Earlier, a total of 136 disaster response personnel of the Odisha Police were found to have the virus after their return from the cyclone restoration duty in West Bengal. Meanwhile, 120 patients recovered from the disease on Saturday, taking the total number of cured persons to 2,594. With this, the number of active cases in the state now stands at 1,116, while 2,594 people have recovered from the disease till Saturday, the official said. Ten people have died of the disease in the state. Three more patients had tested positive for the disease but they died of other reasons, the official said. Keeping in view the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state, several districts like Keonjhar, Khurda, Ganjam, Jatasinghpur and Cuttack have imposed prohibitory orders banning gathering of more than seven people during the celebration of the three-day Raja festival, which commences from Sunday. The district administrations have also banned mass celebration of the festival, the official said. AAM RG KJ KJ

Odisha reports 225 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 3,723

A low-pressure area has formed over <keyword id="21370870" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gangetic-West-Bengal" source="keywords">Gangetic West Bengal</keyword> and adjoining <keyword id="19908269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jharkhand" source="keywords">Jharkhand</keyword>, the India Meteorological Department (<keyword id="19933636" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IMD" source="keywords">IMD</keyword>) announced on Friday. This weather system is expected to intensify and bring widespread rainfall to several states in the region. The low-pressure area, accompanied by a cyclonic circulation extending up to 7.6 kilometres above sea level, is likely to move west-northwestwards in the next 24 hours. Further, the <keyword id="22381212" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="monsoon-trough" source="keywords">monsoon trough</keyword> is also active over <keyword id="20946130" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="East-India" source="keywords">East India</keyword> for the next 3-4 days. Under the combined influence of these systems, extremely heavy <keyword id="20132952" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rains" source="keywords">rains</keyword> are expected over Bihar, Jharkhand, <keyword id="19896517" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="west-bengal" source="keywords">West Bengal</keyword> and Sikkim today. Heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated places across Assam, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are forecast until August 8. A red warning has been issued over Bihar, Jharkhand and Sikkim; orange alert over Gangetic West Bengal, Assam Meghalaya and N.M.M.T; and yellow watch over Odisha and Arunachal Pradesh for today. For the rest of the forecast period, yellow and orange alerts have been issued based on the intensity of rains expected. Residents of these states have been advised to remain cautious and be prepared for heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning. The IMD will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates on the system's movement and intensity. In the meantime, the weather department has warned of localised <keyword id="19933999" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flooding" source="keywords">flooding</keyword> of roads, waterlogging in low lying areas, closure of underpasses mainly in urban areas and the occasional reduction in visibility due to heavy rainfall. These can lead to disruption of traffic in major cities. Further, damage to vulnerable structures, landslides/mudslides and crop damage are also possible. Locals are advised to check for traffic congestion on their route before leaving their homes, and follow any traffic advisories that are issued in this regard. Farmers have been asked to make provisions to drain out excess water from crop fields to avoid water stagnation. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112186695" title="WATCH: Delhi Parliament seen leaking after the national capital receives over 100 mm of rainfall in 24 hours" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Low pressure system over Gangetic West Bengal to dump very heavy rains across East India; IMD warns of flooding!

<keyword id="37102" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="andhra-pradesh" source="Orion">Andhra Pradesh</keyword>'s coastal districts were on alert on Sunday as cyclonic storm '<keyword id="241227" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gulab" source="Orion">Gulab</keyword>' in Bay of Bengal is likely to cross north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts. Authorities in north coastal Andhra districts were alerted to be prepared as the region is likely to experience heavy rains under the impact of the cyclone which is expected to make a landfall between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur on Sunday evening. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued cyclone warning for north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts. According to the IMD, 'Gulab' lay centred over northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal about 270 km east-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 330 km east of Kalingapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). It is likely to move nearly westwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh - south Odisha coasts between Kalingapatnam and Gopalpur around evening of 26th September, the IMD said. Cyclone Warning Centre Visakhapatnam warned that tidal wave of about 0.5 m height above the astronomical tide likely to inundate low lying areas of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Ganjam districts during the time of landfall. The cyclonic storm is likely to trigger heavy rains at one or two places over Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts over the next 24 hours. The IMD has issued red warning for these districts. Heavy to very heavy fall at a few places very likely over East Godavari, West Godavari districts and <keyword id="919832" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yanam" source="Orion">Yanam</keyword>. Heavy rainfall very likely to occur at one or two places over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, the IMD bulletin said. Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph likely to prevail along and off north Andhra Pradesh coast. It will gradually increase becoming gale wind speed reaching 75-85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph from afternoon of September 26 till midnight along and off north Andhra Pradesh (Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts). Squally wind speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 65 kmph likely to prevail over remaining districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh. As sea condition will be rough to very rough, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the rough waters till Monday. Tidal wave of about 0.5 m height above the astronomical tide likely to inundate low lying areas of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Ganjam districts during the time of landfall. Local cautionary signal- III was hoisted at Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram and Kakinada ports. Distant Warning Signal - II was hoisted at Machilipatnam, Nizampatnam and Krishnapatnam ports. Strong winds and very Heavy/extremely heavy rainfall are likely to damage thatched huts, cause minor damage to power and communication lines due to breaking of branches and uprooting of trees, major damage to Kutcha and minor damage to pucca roads, some damage to paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards, sea water inundation in low lying areas after erosion of Kutcha embankments, localized Flooding of roads, inundation and water logging in low lying areas and closure of underpasses mainly in urban areas of the region. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister <keyword id="10212072" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="y-s-jagan" source="Orion">Y.S. Jagan</keyword> Mohan Reddy held a review meeting on the preparedness in wake of cyclone alert and directed the officials to take all necessary steps. The officials informed the Chief Minister that they have alerted district collectors and suggested to take all necessary steps. They said control rooms were setup village secretariat wise and added that they have readied disaster management staff in Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam districts. The district collectors are taking steps to setup relief camps at required locations, the officials said. The Chief Minister directed the officials to be alert and take necessary steps as there are chances of heavy rains after cyclonic storm crosses the coast. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/highlights-of-prime-minister-narendra-modis-speech-at-the-unga-today/articleshow/86510462.cms">Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes his points on China, Afghanistan and Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/freshworks-ceo-girish-mathrubootham-shares-someone-said-i-will-be-nothing-but-a-rickshaw-puller/articleshow/86507840.cms">WATCH: "Someone said I am good enough to be a rickshaw puller," shares Freshworks CEO Girish Mathrubootham in a candid chat</a>

Coastal Andhra on alert as 'Gulab' set to make landfall

<ul><li>Parle-G registered its best sales figures in over eight decades during the COVID-19 lockdown period. </li><li>We caught up with Mayank Shah, Sr. Category Head, Parle Products to understand how the brand managed to meet the ever-increasing demand, secret behind hike in sales, its shifting focus on digital mediums and overall marketing strategy. </li></ul>We all have grown up munching on Parle-G, dunking it in our chai and savouring the half-tea-soaked cookie everyday before rushing to school. The five-rupees pack came to the rescue yet again, cured the lockdown blues when our migrants trekked hundreds of kilometers back home. As a result, while many businesses struggled to survive, this home-grown glucose biscuit hasn’t seen its sales dip even for a day. In fact, Parle-G broke its own sales record by selling the maximum number of biscuits during lockdown in eight decades. Parle saw its overall market share increasing by nearly 5% in May and 80-90% of this growth came from Parle-G sales. “We have witnessed that during natural calamities and during COVID, there is an urgent need to supply rations to people and Parle-G has always been the go-to product and comfort food in any situation or location. It has a longer shelf life and the packaging keeps the biscuits fresh, thereby making it an ideal storage item,” said Mayank Shah, Sr. Category Head, Parle Products. Various NGOs and welfare organizations included Parle-G in their donation kits when Cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal and Odisha. Many people stocked it at home for emergencies. Another reason why Parle-G saw an uptick in sales is because the whole country was home and needed something healthy to snack on. “Today, most spending is happening on food and given the behavior, we are noticing people buying all sorts of biscuits, not just for snacking but for preparing various dishes. This is one reason why the demand went up. The second reason being staying at home has increased the consumption drastically. Typically, at the workplace the focus remains at work, at school focus is on studying but at home 24x7, consumption of food and snacking goes up. This is the reason why we saw uptick in consumption and we expect that this momentum will continue going forward as long as there are some or the other form of restrictions and also because of the concerns that people have in consuming outside food,” tells Shah. Challenges of meeting the market demand But how did Parle manage to meet this ever-increasing demand with scarcity of labor? “Right from day one, we were on the job in terms of ensuring that we get permissions to operate our plant, to ensure that the people are taking care of supply chains so any issues coming at any local level, there was a team that was functioning and taking care of those things to ensure smooth operation. Right from sourcing to manufacturing and supply chain, there were partners and teams already taking care of it. A big challenge was, a paucity of labor and the government additionally declared that offices will not operate with more than 50 percent capacity, which has changed today, initially it was even less than that,” said Shah. He added, “Depending on how a particular zone is affected, we probably have 20-40% labourers. To inspire and get laborers on board, we had to make them understand that it was not just a commercial activity rather it was food security of the country because of the sheer volume and consumption by people.” Shifting focus on digital mediums The lockdown has pushed even a traditional brand like Parle to embrace digital and explore the options available to reach out to its customers. While its ‘G Maane Genius’ iconic tagline continues to be a part of popular culture, to make it more relevant today and increase its recall value, Parle recently partnered with Amazon Prime Video for Shakuntala Devi. Talking about this partnership, Shah said, “This partnership celebrates what sets us apart, which is the generations of children that go above and beyond exploring possibilities in a way that makes their little world and imagination better.” Shah told us that the brand shifted its lion’s share from TV to digital during the lockdown because there was no fresh content on TV and on the other hand, there was a disproportionately higher rate on digital. “We would be investing a good amount of our budget into digital. Pre-COVID, the investments were typically 10 to 12% of the budget. During the initial part of the COVID, not just ours but many companies invested almost one third of the budget spent on digital. Now within a year or two, we will see almost about 20-25% of the total advertising spend happening on digital. Secondly, associations on OTT or TV only if we see a good synergy with our brand. So unless and until there is no great synergy in between our brand communication or brand proposition and the medium or rather the property with which we are associated, we normally don't associate,” said he. Tweaking marketing strategy to stay relevant This 82-year-old brand has grown to become a feeling in our country, it is not just any a cookie you dip in your chai. There is immense nostalgia associated with it. And to resonate with its consumers in gloomy times, Parle tweaked its overall marketing strategy. “We ensured that Parle remained part of consumers' life. Although we observed advertising by many brands, we opted to stay relevant and sometimes out of it. Rather, we continued talking to consumers about inspiring in these times, making them appreciate the role of the frontline workers and ensuring that they understand how the lockdown is beneficial to everybody. So they were not only public service ads which we executed, but ads of our products which talked about how we are part of their life by sharing their concerns. So, most of our communication was topical in nature.” When asked what keeps Shah motivated and at it, he said, “Today we are seeing many companies in the same category, same sector, who are giving up saying that it's the time of lockdown and nothing can be done. On the other hand and extreme, we can see companies that view this as an opportunity to rise up and go all out and carve out an opportunity out of constraint. We have seen both sides of the spectrum. A positive frame of mind, a positive bent of mind and a motivated team is something that makes all the difference.”

You Searched For "Odisha cyclone preparation" and got 6 results

Cyclone Fani rescue and relief efforts underway as Indian warships deployed to keep guard

Prabhjote Gill

Odisha reports 165 fresh COVID-19 cases, 153 people recover

PTI

Odisha reports 225 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 3,723

PTI

Low pressure system over Gangetic West Bengal to dump very heavy rains across East India; IMD warns of flooding!

BI India Bureau

Coastal Andhra on alert as 'Gulab' set to make landfall

IANS

How Parle-G continues to exceed its sales record despite a recession

Karuna Sharma