Cyclone Amphan heads towards West Bengal: Key points

TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: May 20, 2020, 11:54 IST

NEW DELHI: As the cyclone, Amphan is expected to make landfall today, rainfall and strong winds hit West Bengal and Bhadrak in Odisha.
Here is what we know about cyclone Amphan as of now —

According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) cyclone Amphan will cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (WB) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbans during the afternoon to evening hours of May 20.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has distributed more than two lakh masks among the evacuees and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits have been handed out to the State Disaster Relief Force personnel, who have been deployed in the vulnerable areas.
Hospitals across the city are gearing up with specific measures in place. Covid hospitals, in particular, are stocking up essential medicines, oxygen cylinders, food and drinking water.
The Meteorological (MeT) Department has issued an "orange message" for West Bengal and warned of extensive damage in Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.
Given the situation, the Indian Navy has dispatched a team of divers to assist the West Bengal government in relief operations.
The cyclonic storm will have a maximum sustained wind speed of 155 kmph to 165 kmph gusting to 180 kmph.
Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has appealed to citizens to stay indoors from 11 am on Wednesday.
The West Bengal administration shifted around 3 lakh people from coastal areas, around 67% of them from South 24 Parganas and the rest from North 24 Parganas and East and West Midnapore.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has identified vacant civic schools and community centres to be used as emergency shelters.
Over 9,000 police personnel are on standby in the city.
Officials warned of waves 4-5 metres high in coastal areas and heavy to very heavy rainfall from Wednesday afternoon, which would intensify as the cyclone approached land and continue through Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.
Communication poles and trees might suffer widespread damage and there could be heavy waterlogging in some areas of Kolkata city.
Three Shramik Special train heading to West Bengal and Odisha have been cancelled.
Nineteen teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in West Bengal in view of the approaching cyclone.
Chief wildlife warden Ravi Kant Sinha said a control room has been set up at Gosaba to monitor the situation in the mangrove forests round-the-clock.
Haldia Petrochemicals Limited and Indian Oil Corporation's refinery in East Midnapore district are on high alert, while Kolkata Port Trust has issued warnings to mariners and stopped movement of all vessels to and from its docks to prevent any damage to port assets and merchant ships.