PM Modi Reviews Preparations Of Cyclone Yaas, Directs Officials To Ensure No Disruption In Covid Treatment

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other ministers also joined the review meeting chaired by PM Modi to ensure everything is well prepared before the cyclone Yaas makes landfall.

Image: ANI

Cyclone Yaas Update: As Cyclone Yaas is approaching West Bengal and Odisha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with senior government officials and representatives from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), secretaries from telecom, power, civil aviation, and earth sciences ministries on Sunday to review preparations for the approaching cyclone, news agency ANI reported.

Home ministers Amit Shah and other ministers also attended the meeting.

PM Modi directed senior officers to work in close coordination with states to ensure the safe evacuation of people from high-risk areas & timely evacuation of those involved in off-shore activities.

PM Modi spoke about need to ensure that time duration of outages of power supply&communication network are minimum & restored swiftly. He asked officials to ensure proper coordination & planning with the state govt to ensure no disruptions in Covid treatment & vaccination in hospitals

PM directed officials that advisories and instructions on do’s and dont’s during the cyclone be made available in easy to understand and local language to citizens of the affected districts

Meanwhile, the West Bengal and Odisha government has taken all precautionary measures to deal with Cyclone Yaas.

Here are the latest updates on Cyclone Yaas:

• A 22-member team of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) has been pressed into services by the state government in the wake of Cyclone Yaas. It has been asked to stockpile essential items and relocate people to local wind shelters.
• Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said the state has 17 NDRF teams, 20 ODRAF and around 150 Fire Services groups. Secretaries of water resources, housing and urban development and public works departments are in talks with district authorities for mobilisation of workers.
• "The DIG of Indian Coast Guard has informed us that two of their flights and two ships are making rounds of the Bay of Bengal. They will rescue the fishermen if trapped anywhere in the sea," Jena said. So far 39 fishermen are in the deep sea and they are expected to return to the shore, he added.
• The Indian Army said on Saturday that it has arranged columns and engineer task forces are on standby for rescue and relief operations. The army has arranged two columns and two engineer task forces in Odisha and eight columns and one engineer task force in West Bengal. The navy too has kept four warships and a number of aircraft on standby.
• Apart from putting at least 14 of the state's 30 districts on high alert in the wake of the IMD's forecast of a possible cyclone crossing Odisha-West Bengal coast by May 26 morning, the state government Friday urged the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard to be prepared for the emerging situation, official sources said. Odishas Chief Secretary S C Mohapatra, after a meeting with senior officials, said that the state administration is geared up to meet the eventuality if cyclone 'Yaas' has any impact on the state.
• In view of the cyclone Yaas, Northern Railway has cancelled over a dozen trains from the national capital to and from Bhubaneshwar and Puri in Odisha.
• West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee held a high-level meeting at the state secretariat on Saturday where she directed officials to evacuate people from coastal and riverine areas early.
• The Bengal government has set up a control room to monitor the situation, which will work round the clock. The chief minister said that she will stay at a control room."I have extensively reviewed the Disaster Management preparedness with regards to the impending Yaas cyclone today afternoon with all senior officers of relevant Central & State agencies along with DMs & SPs," Banerjee tweeted.
• Cyclone Yaas will likely intensify into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and cross the Odisha and the West Bengal coasts on May 26, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD). GK Das, director of the IMD’s regional office in Kolkata, said that it will not be as dangerous as Cyclone Amphan which hit Bengal and Odisha last year.
• "Marked low-pressure to be developed over East-central Bay of Bengal. Likely to become depression during next 12 hrs&move north­ northwestwards direction. Cyclonic storm to intensify by May 24&reach north Odisha, West Bengal & Bangladesh coast on May 26":Dy Director,IMD Bhubaneswar