Cyclone ‘Amphan’ intensified into a super cyclonic storm on Monday and is likely to move across the northeast Bay of Bengal, and cross the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts between Digha and the Hatia island on May 20, the IMD said.
A cyclone alert has been sounded in West Bengal and Odisha. At least 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)have been deployed in Odisha and West Bengal. to clear out the coastal areas in view of the storm approaching.
Odisha, which has been ravaged by a string of cyclones over the last few years, including the cyclone Fani last year, has made arrangements to shift 11 lakh people from vulnerable areas, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena said.
Twelve coastal districts–Ganjam, Gajapti, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda and Nayagarh– are on high alert. He said of the 809 cyclone shelters in the 12 coastal districts, 242 are currently being used as temporary medical camps for the returnees from different states amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
The MHA has issued an advisory to the state governments of West Bengal and Odisha governments- only Indian states likely to be affected by the Amphan cyclone. The ministry has said that ‘Amphan’ has been spotted over the central parts of South Bay of Bengal along with the adjoining central Bay of Bengal. The cyclone has been moving northwards with a speed of up to 13 kmph in the last six hours and is likely to make a landfall at 0530hours IST on Monday, the ministry has said in its advisory.
The IMD has also predicted the cyclone to move further in north-northeastwards at a rapid pace across the northwest Bay of Bengal. The cyclone is likely to cross West Bengal and lay its landfall between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh during the afternoon/evening of May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm.
IMD warning for West Bengal:-
Storm surge of around 4-5 metres above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of South and North 24 Parganas and 3-4 metres over the low lying areas of East Medinipur district of West Bengal during time of Cyclone Amphan landfall
Cyclone Amphan alert:-
Odisha State Disaster Management Authority has issued “heavy to very heavy rainfall” alert for May 19, 8.30 AM to May 20, 8.30 AM. Districts such as Puri, Khurda, Cuttack heavy, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj will be affected, as per local media report.
The IMD and Odisha government have warned fishermen have been advised not to go on fishing into the north bay of Bengal along and off the coasts of West Bengal-Odisha from May 18th to 21st. The fishermen who are at sea now have been told to return to the shore by May 17.
Site Title 