[ad_1]
Cyclone Yaas intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday evening, India Meteorological Department Director General M. Mohapatra said, even as the West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand aggressively evacuated over 13 lakh people to storm shelters by late evening.
The storm has started landfall process at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
The Odisha government said it was prepared for landfall near Bhitarakanika, Dhamra and Chandbali. It added brought new areas such as parts of Dhenkanal, Angul and Sundargarh districts under disaster management operations along with Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Jajpur.
Here are the latest updates:
9.30 am
Calcutta HC not to hear cases today
Calcutta High Court not to hear any matter today. The five-judge Bench was scheduled to hear the controversial Narada case during the day.
“Keeping in view the report of the Meteorological Department on the cyclone ‘Yaas’, which is likely to cause widespread damage and heavy rainfall, as a precautionary measure, all electronic gadgets and devices for E-Connectivity of the Court shall remain shut. The Government has intimated the Registrar General that it might not be possible for it to provide transport facilities to the employees of this Court on 26th May, 2021 and 27th May, 2021. Consequently, the judicial proceedings fixed tomorrow are suspended,” the court said in a notice issued on May 25.
9.05 am
Landfall commences, says IMD
The IMD said that the landfall process of very severe cyclonic storm Yaas has commenced at 9 a.m. The storm is centered about 50 km south-southeast of Balasore in Odisha, it said in a statement on Twitter.
The process is expected to take 3 to 4 hours to complete.
9 am
With very severe cyclonic storm Yaas nearing the coast, tidal surge has started inundating several low-lying areas of Bhadrak and Balasore in Odisha.
According to Uma Shankar Das, a scientist with Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, there is probability of tidal surge rising between 1.5 metre and 3.5 metre in Bhadrak district. The tidal water could inundate up to 9 km landmass of the district.
8.35 am
Blocked roads being cleared
NDRF chief S.N. Pradhan said that the landfall process of Yaas would commence within a couple of hours to cross north Odisha coast to the north Dhamra and south of Balasore.
He attributed the update to IMD.
Mr. Pradhan shared videos of the trees and electric wires swaying to intense winds, and tweeted photographs of the NDRF teams clearing blocked roads in Medinipur, West Bengal, and Balasore, Odisha.
Indian Army Eastern Command deploys a total of seventeen integrated Cyclone Rescue and Relief Columns, comprising specialised personnel with associated equipment and inflatable boats.
| Photo Credit: Twitter/@adgpi
8 am
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik took to Twitter to share his latest work on the cyclone. “Don’t Panic, Stay Safe,” he wrote.
Odisha | 7 am
Yaas lay centres over northwest Bay of Bengal about 40 km east of Dhamra
The very severe cyclonic storm, Yaas lay centred over northwest Bay of Bengal about 40 km east of Dhamra, 80 km south-southwest of Digha and 80 km south-southeast of Balasore, says IMD. The cyclone would cross the coast between Dhamra and Balasore with 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph.
Strong wind and heavy rain lashed Bhadrak and Balasore district. Mayurbhanj district has been put on high alert.
Odisha
Heavy rainfall in interior areas of Odisha
The very severe cyclonic storm, Yaas lay-centred over northwest Bay of Bengal about 60 km east of Dhamra of Bhadrak district and 90 km east-northeast of Paradip, and 105 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha) and 100 km south of Digha (West Bengal) with wind speeds of 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph was prevailing around the system. The cyclone is moving at 15 km per hour.
Under the impact of cyclone, coastal and interior Odisha have received heavy rainfall and trees have been uprooted. During past 20 hours, Chandbali recorded highest 229 mm rainfall followed by Paradip with 180 mm. Bhubaneswar received 30 mm rainfall.
According to Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena the landfall could take place around 10-11 am and disaster response forces have been asked to start rescue operations only after cyclone fully crosses the coast.
West Bengal
Forces on high alert
With severe cyclone Yaas set to make landfall on the Eastern coast on May 26, the Army and Navy deployed relief and diving teams in West Bengal in coordination with the local administration. In addition, the Navy and Coast Guard have also kept ships and aircraft on standby.
As part of the preparations in West Bengal, the Navy said two Navy diving teams and five Flood Relief Teams (FRT), comprising specialised Navy personnel with associated equipment and inflatable boats, have been deployed to the State.
“In addition, one diving and two FRT each have been positioned at Digha and Frazerganj on May 23 and 24 respectively. One FRT has been kept on standby at Diamond Harbour, for redeployment as necessary, at short notice,” it said in a statement.
(With inputs from our Correspondent Satyasundar Barik, Shiv Sahay Singh and agencies)
[ad_2]
Source link
