Amphan wreaked havoc in the coastal areas of West Bengal yesterday after it made landfall near Digha on Wednesday afternoon. According to reports, Amphan caused strong winds up to 155-185 kmph and heavy rainfall. It has done severe damage in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas districts and their nearby areas.
Reports say that four people have died in West Bengal due to super-cyclone Amphan. Three died in North 24 Parganas whereas one lost his life in Howrah. Reports said that Amphan has destroyed over 5,000 houses in Minakhan, Haroa, Basirhat Hingalgunj, and Hasnabad areas of the North 24 Parganas district.
According to a report by PTI the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee who is monitoring the situation from Nabanna, the state secretariat said,” Area after area has been ruined. I have experienced a war-like situation today. At least 10-12 people have died. Nandigram, Ramnagar....the two districts of North and South 24 Parganas are destroyed."
Meanwhile, the Odisha government has asked the district collectors to submit cyclone Amphan damage assessment reports within 48 hours. The state also experienced damage caused by the winds that have uprooted trees and destroyed electricity infrastructure.
"We have asked the district collectors to submit primary reports within 48 hours following which the authorities have to submit a final report. Once we get the preliminary reports, we can precisely say what is the amount to be required and the timeframe for restoration," said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Kumar Jena.
Anticipating the damage, both states had started a massive evacuation process before the storm hit land. Around Over 3 Lakh People were relocated to safer places from coastal districts of Bengal and over 1 lakh were evacuated from 13 districts in Odisha.
With inputs from PTI and IANS.