West Bengal: Cyclone Yaas measures with Amphan lessons

KOLKATA: Taking lessons from Amphan, a central unified command war room has been set up at the Kolkata Police headquarters for cyclone Yaas, which will work to ensure cutting down response time.
Along with state agencies, the Army has deputed four columns for this purpose in the city. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will be using nine teams for their rescue operations with 30 members in each. The state’s disaster management group (DMG) has increased its manpower for the job and formed 44 teams to be spread across police divisions and boroughs — especially in areas of Ballygunge, Kalighat, Haridevpur and Behala.
The Army units will be stationed at Fort William, the Ballygunge campus and Behala. “We had to deploy NDRF and DMG centrally during Amphan. With hundreds of requests pouring in from the corners of the city, we wasted a lot of time travelling. This time, we want to respond quickly and have spread our teams across the areas that may be affected worst. The experience from last year is dictating our decisions,” said an officer.
The KMC buildings department on Monday identified highly insecure buildings in areas like Burrabazar, Posta, Rabindra Sarani, Cossipore, Bidhan Sarani, APC Roy Road, Ripon Street, Taltala and Elliot Road and asked residents to temporarily move out. KMC has arranged for their stay at civic primary schools and community halls. The drainage department has prepared a central group of civic workers to clean clogged manholes and KMC will engage expert tree cutters across boroughs to remove uprooted trees. They will be given electric saws to cut and remove logs faster to clear major thoroughfares.
A 24-hour control room has been set up by NKDA in New Town and the authorities have arranged for cleaning of drains and water channels, trimming of branches and lowering of high-mast lights. The authorities have kept diesel generators and operators ready at water pumping stations and set up cranes at strategic positions. The water level at Bagjola canal will also be monitored. At Salt Lake, BMC authorities are trimming branches and checking up on drainage pumps apart from clearing sewerage lines. There will be a control room and all ward coordinators will monitor the situation from their offices. A quick action team comprising over 100 civic officials is being kept ready. Some school buildings in Rajarhat and Gopalpur are being prepared to shelter people if needed.
In case the city loses connectivity, a 22-member HAM radio team will help cops take stock of the situation. A HAM station has been created at the wireless wing on Ripon Street. Traffic guards have been asked to remove high-mast lights and billboards by Tuesday morning. “The work is almost over. All leaves — except those due to reasons of health — will stand cancelled in the force,” said a traffic ACP..
The armed forces and Indian Coast Guard are expected to play a crucial role in the coastal areas. The Air Force has airlifted 950 NDRF personnel and 70 tonnes of load from Jamnagar, Varanasi, Patna and Arakonnam to Kolkata, along with Bhubaneswar and Port Blair, and16 transport aircraft and 26 helicopters are on standby for immediate deployment. The Navy has moved five pallets to Kolkata from where they will be assigned to different zones in the state. The state has been allotted a few of the four diving and 10 flood-relief columns and 31 Coast Guard Disaster Relief Teams with inflatable boats, lifebuoys and life jackets are on standby for Bengal and Odisha.