PM Modi to chair high-level meeting on cyclone Amphan: All you need to know

NEW DELHI: Cyclone 'Amphan' intensified into an extremely severe storm on Monday over the Bay of Bengal and is likely to make a landfall somewhere between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh on Wednesday. Bracing for heavy rains coupled with high-velocity winds, coastal Odisha has prepared for the possible evacuation of 11 lakh people.
Here are the highlights:—
* 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 India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
* PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) today at 4 PM, to review the arising cyclone situation in parts of the country.
* On Monday IMD issued heavy rainfall warning for Odisha, West Bengal, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya till May 21 in the light of extremely severe cyclonic storm.
Follow live updates on Cyclone Amphan
* The extremely severe cyclonic storm 'Amphan', moving with a speed of 13 kmph over west-central and adjoining central parts of south Bay of Bengal, is likely to gain more strength and intensify further into a super cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours, as per the IMD.
* Amphan lays centred around 790 km south of Paradip in Odisha, 940 km south-southwest of Digha in West Bengal and 1060 km south-southwest of Khepupara in Bangladesh, said H R Biswas, Director of the Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar.
* It is very likely to move north-northeastwards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal Bangladesh coasts between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh during the afternoon or evening of May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph, he said.
* IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that northern parts of Odisha are likely to be more affected due to the cyclone.
* The system is very likely to lose some power as it approaches landfall.
* The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has also prepared itself for maritime search and rescue operations.
ODISHA
* Coastal districts in Odisha like Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore are likely to experience heavy rainfall accompanied by high-velocity winds, particularly on May 19 and 20. Some regions are likely to experience light to moderate rainfall from the evening of May 18.
* Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has directed officials to prepare a plan for relocating people living in vulnerable areas to safer places along with an early restoration of affected road communication, drinking water supply, electricity, infrastructure and power supply to hospitals.
* National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) director general S N Pradhan said 10 teams have been sent to seven districts in Odisha and 10 others kept stand by.
* Odisha, which has been ravaged by a string of cyclones over the last few years, including cyclone Fani last year, has made arrangements to shift 11 lakh people from vulnerable areas.
* Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena said the state has 567 cyclone and flood shelters available to house the people in case evacuation is required. In addition, 7,092 buildings have been arranged to keep people, if required.
* Out 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.
* Unlike past cyclones when the evacuees were kept in large numbers at cyclone shelters, it will be different this time as people will have to be accommodated while maintaining the social distancing guidelines in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jena said.
* The railways said the AC special trains between New Delhi and Bhubaneswar will be diverted for four days from Monday. The trains will travel on diverted route via Bhubaneswar-Angul-Sambalpur City-Jharsuguda-Rourkela-Tata route, bypassing Bhadrak-Balasore-Hijli track during the period.
WEST BENGAL
* The coastal districts of Gangetic West Bengal, including North and South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, East and West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly are likely to experience light to moderate rain at many places with heavy downpour at isolated places on May 19.
* Seven teams of the NDRF have been deployed in West Bengal. These teams are in six districts -- South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly.
* West Bengal Home secretary Alapan Bandopdhyay said that the entire state machinery is prepared to deal with the situation.
* Disaster management teams were dispatched to cyclone shelters in the coastal areas and other places for rescue and relief operations. Provisions have been made for maintaining social distancing norms at these shelters in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
(With inputs from agencies)In Video:Cyclone Amphan: ‘Warning cage no 2’ hoisted at Pamban Bridge in Rameswaram