Cyclone Fani: Airlines cancel flights to and from Odisha

Wind uprooted signage lies on the road after Cyclone Fani made landfall.

With what is said to be India's strongest tropical cyclone in 20 years, Cyclone Fani made landfall on the eastern coast of Odisha on Friday morning. Wind speed touched nearly 200kmph, wreaking havoc in the state. The cyclone crossed several districts before advancing to neighbouring West Bengal. 
Flights to and from Odisha have been affected prompting airlines to cancel flights. Bhubaneswar airport was also shut down due to the cyclone.
All flights to and from Kolkata have been canceled from 3pm local time Friday because of Cyclone Fani, airport director Kaushik Bhattacharjee said. Initially the airport was due to cancel flights from 9:30pm.
Tweeting from their official handle, Vistara said #Importantupdate "Cyclone FANI update: Please note flight cancellations for Bhubaneswar (BBI) and Kolkata (CCU) below. We will try to operate special flights to clear backlog if required, once airports reopen"
In a travel advisory, Indigo airline tweeted: "Due to Cyclone Fani, flights to/from #Kolkata have been cancelled for today (May 3, 2019 | 03:00 PM onwards). You may visit website to opt for alternate options or get a refund.
Another airline, GoAir tweeted, "Passengers travelling to and from Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Ranchi could be inconvenienced. We are waiving cancellation and rescheduling fees for Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and Ranchi flights to travel between May 2, 2019 to May 5, 2019. Flights must be re-booked within 7 days of scheduled departure. Customers may contact our airport ticketing offices for more details.
While Emirates cancelled all flights to the affected areas on Friday; SpiceJet advised its passengers flying to and from Kolkata and Odisha to check the airline website for their flight status.
UAE-based Odias check on families, loved ones in affected areas
Glued to their television sets as well as checking social media and making calls to their loved ones residing in the affected areas, non-resident Odias of the UAE said they trust their government on preparedness this time.
Striking near the city of Puri, the storm is expected to weaken as it moves north-northeast in the next six hours toward Kolkata and Bangladesh.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dubai expat Captain Saurav Mishra, a resident of Odisha, said his parents as well as his in-laws were in Puri, just half a kilometre from the beach. " The last correspondence I had with them was early morning today, when they spoke about how the strong winds had caused some damage to their house windows and that there was a power outage. I have not been able to speak to them after that as the lines are down, and since that area does not have underground wires, they have all broken and poles and trees are uprooted.
Mishra said residents of Odisha were better prepared this time as they were told about the situation in advance. "I had advised my parents to tie few heavy drums outside the house so that rain water could be stored and used later since we were expecting water and electricity to get cut. Also due to the damage,we knew prices of perishable items will skyrocket or availability will be less so most of the people have stocked their houses with the required food in advance because the aftermath will be harsh.
Mishra said he has relatives living about 100km away from the area where his parents live. "I managed to contact them and they have reassured me that the damage is not as bad as it was last time, when 10,000 people lost their lives in 1999. I am not so worried because I had spoken to my parents in the morning only and they were well prepared and quite comfortable then. Also we were informed that it won't last for more than 36 hours, and it is already said to be weakening in intensity, hopefully I'll be able to speak to my parents by evening. "
saman@khaleejtimes.com