West Bengal has already started preparing for the impact of the cyclone and according to reports by PTI, it mounted one of its biggest evacuation exercises yesterday. More than 3 lakh people were moved to safer places especially from districts that will be severely impacted by the cyclone.
From South 24 Parganas district, 2 lakh people have been evacuated while 50,000 have been relocated in North 24 parganas district. In East Midnapore 40,000 people and about 10,000 in West Midnapore district have been shifted to safer locations. The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also said that steps are being taken to deal with any situation arising out of cyclone 'Amphan'. Reports say that Banerjee also formed a task force headed by Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha to oversee all the preparation.
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“This cyclonic storm is going to be more disastrous than cyclone Aila. I urge all the people, especially those living in the coastal areas, to stay safe. They should not venture out in the open tomorrow after 12 noon. We have opened an emergency helpline at the state secretariat Nabanna to keep a close watch on the situation," said Banerjee during a press conference regarding Amphan.
Apart from this 12 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are also on standby to handle the situation in the coastal districts. Banerjee had also talked to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah who gave assurance about the Central Government's assistance to the state.
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(With inputs from agencies)