Amphan, a super cyclone, with an intensified speed of 175 kmph, brought heavy rains and wind in Odisha and West Bengal. The cyclone which emerged from the Bay of Bengal is likely to hit areas of West Bengal on the afternoon of the 20th of May.
The Sundarban area of West Bengal would witness landslides and would move towards Kolkata with an expected speed of 160 to 175 kmph.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on the 19th of May, issued an orange message for West Bengal, which means extensive damage warning in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.
The high velocity winds resulted in uprooting trees and flattening fragile structures in coastal areas of Odisha.
The Odisha Government evacuated 1.25 lakh people so far and the evacuation process is still underway. Approximately 41 National Disaster Rescue Forces (NDRF) were deployed to control the situation in Odisha and West Bengal. Goods trains, ferry and transport services are suspended in Odisha and West Bengal till the morning of the 21st of May. People are advised to stay indoors after 2:00 P.M., of the 20th May to 8:00 A.M., on the 21st of May.
Pradyot Giri, who has been shifted to shelter houses with 1.25 lakh others said, “The wind speed is picking up. The trees have got uprooted…However, we are feeling safe inside the cyclone shelter building. However, it is jam- packed. As a result social distancing to contain the spread of coronavirus is not being maintained here.”
The super cyclone left many in a situation where to save themselves, they have to forget about social distancing and other preventive norms for the Novel Coronavirus.
Meanwhile areas like Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Ganjam, Ganjam, Bhadrak and Balasore reported heavy rainfall from the night of the 19th of May.
Amphan is likely to enter north northeast wards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal and the Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatia Islands (Bangladesh)during evening hours of the 20th of May.
Expected wind speed of Amphan cyclone is 155 to 165 kmph reaching 185 to 200 kmph. West Bengal and Odisha is on high alert till the morning of the 21st of May.
Stay tuned for further updates.
