Bhubaneswar, May 1: Cyclone Fani has now turned "extremely severe" ahead of its landfall in Odisha on May 3, the Indian Navy has said. A high alert has been issued in Odisha, which is expected to face the worst brunt of the cyclonic storm, as rains combined with speed upto 130-170 km/hr is expected to hit the coastal parts of the state.

Over the Bay of Bengal, the cyclone late on Tuesday was seen gushing at a speed of 200 km/hr. The MeT department officials are hopeful that the cyclone will slightly weaken by Friday, when it is expected to hit the Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts in Odisha at the time of landfall. Tamil Nadu, Andhra to Witness Heavy Rainfall as Cyclone Intensifies.

A total of 879 multipurpose shelter homes have been earmarked by the state government, which could shelter approximately 1 million people. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has appealed the Centre to issue all possible assistance, while directing the state administration to act on war footing.

Apart from Odisha, the cyclone would impact the neighbouring states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as well. The entire east coast is expected to witness moderate to heavy rainfall on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the PMO officials to monitor the situation in all vulnerable states, and remain proactive to coordinate with the respective state governments in minimising the cyclone's adverse impact.

The Centre has released 1,086 crore to four states in form of assistance to four states. Out of the said amount, the maximum has been allocated to Odisha (Rs 340.87 crore), followed by Tamil Nadu (Rs 309.37 crore) , West Bengal (Rs 235.50 crore) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 200.25 crore).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2019 09:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).