Odisha warns social media users against spreading fake cyclone alerts

Bhubaneswar, Oct 26 (UNI) The Odisha government has warned of legal action against those spreading false and speculative cyclone forecasts, cautioning that unverified warnings could trigger public panic, disrupt economic activities and hamper disaster preparedness. In an advisory, the Office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) expressed concern over the circulation of unverified cyclone tracks, projected landfall locations, timelines and impact assessments on social media, digital platforms and certain media channels. It noted that some individuals and self-proclaimed weather experts were issuing such predictions without scientific validation or reference to official forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Misleading forecasts…