Cyclone Yaas To Turn Into 'Very Severe Storm' In 24 Hrs, West Bengal And Odisha Evacuate Thousands

Cyclone Yaas is likely to turn into a very severe storm on the night of May 24 and is expected to hit West Bengal on May 26. The state has begun evacuating people from the shores.

Cyclone Yaas  Update: As Cyclone Yaas is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the government of West Bengal and Odisha are on high alerts. The West Bengal government has begun evacuating people from low-lying areas of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.

 The India Meteorological Department predicted that Cyclone ‘Yaas’, which may turn out to be “very severe cyclonic storm", will make landfall somewhere between Paradwip in Odisha and Sagar in South 24 Parganas on May 26 evening at a speed ranging between 155 km/hr and 165 km/hr.

The IMD on Monday tweeted the course of Cyclone Yaas and said, “Depression over Eastcentral Bay of Bengal intensified into a Deep Depression and about 600 km north-northwest of Port Blair. To intensify into a Cyclonic Storm by 24th May morning and further into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm during the subsequent 24 hours."

In both states, the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF, the military, and the Coast Guard are equipped to battle the upcoming storm.

Of 85 NDRF teams, 32 have been deployed in Bengal and 28 in Odisha. Some teams are also out in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Indian Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard have mobilized their personnel along with equipment and have also kept response teams ready at various locations. Attention has been paid to keep the essential COVID-related supplies running through rail and road transport.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) informed on Sunday that Indian Air Force (IAF) has airlifted 950 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and 70 tonnes of load from Jamnagar, Varanasi, Patna, and Arakonnam to Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, and Port Blair in 15 Transport Aircraft, as on May 23, 2021.

“IAF has kept sixteen transport aircraft and 26 helicopters on standby for immediate deployment. Indian Navy, fresh from Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and rescue operations on the Western Coast, has moved 10 Human Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) pallets to Bhubaneswar and Kolkata, while five HADR pallets are ready at Port Blair,” said MoD.