Cyclonic storm Yaas is likely to make a landfall near Balasore in north Odisha at a speed of 155 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, around noon on May 26, the Met department had said on Monday.
A massive evacuation drive has been launched in all low-lying areas and vulnerable storm-surge pockets, following the IMD predicting a tidal surge of 2-4.5 metres during the landfall of Yaas, officials had said.
Here are the latest updates:
Bay of Bengal, fomenting Yaas, hotter than usual
Climate scientists say the Bay of Bengal, where cyclone Yaas has formed, is at least two degrees warmer than what is normal for this time of the year. “The north Bay of Bengal is exceptionally warm with temperatures up to 32C. Distance to landfall is short, preventing it from drawing that energy and intensifying into an extremely severe cyclone,” Roxy Koll, climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, said on Twitter.
Generally, cyclones in the Bay of Bengal are ferocious and cause significant devastation. Cyclone Amphan was a super cyclone that ravaged West Bengal in March last year. It was the strongest storm that hit India's eastern coast since the super cyclone of 1999, that struck Paradip, Odisha. Before Amphan, cyclone Fani in 2019 also hit Odisha, causing immense damage that lasted weeks.
Rahul Gandhi asks Congress workers to provide all help in ensuring safety of people
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has appealed to party workers to provide all assistance in ensuring the safety of the people who would be impacted by Cyclone Yaas.
"#CycloneYaas is moving towards Bengal and Odisha from the Bay of Bengal. I appeal to Congress workers to provide all assistance ensuring safety of those affected," Mr. Gandhi said in a tweet.
The former Congress chief urged people to follow all precautionary measures.
Bengal power utilities better prepared than Amphan time
The two power utilities of West Bengal on Monday claimed that they are better prepared for Cyclone Yaas, which is likely to hit the State and Odisha on May 26, than they were before last year's storm, Amphan.
The state-owned West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) and private utility CESC Limited, which supplies power to Kolkata and adjoining areas including Howrah, said they aim to minimise inconvenience to consumers.
Both CESC and WBSEB set up emergency call centres to receive complaints.
For CESC, the numbers are 3501-1912/4403- 1912/18605001912.
The dedicated numbers of WBSEBs round-the-clock control room are 8900793503 and 8900793504.
Odisha, Bengal grapple with evacuation
As the storm system Yaas heads towards the north Odisha-West Bengal coast, several thousand people are set to be evacuated from the coastal districts of both States.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the State was in the process of evacuating about 10 lakh people to cyclone shelters. “We have about 4,000 cyclone shelters, where people who are being evacuated will be given shelter to minimise the loss of lives. Twenty of the 23 districts will be affected by Yaas.”
The Odisha government said it had mobilised disaster response forces and evacuated people from low-lying areas ahead of the cyclone. However, the government is facing twin challenge of shifting large number of people to safer places and following COVID-19 guideline. Additional cyclone shelters have been identified for COVID-19 patients.
Cyclone Yaas to have mild impact on A.P., says Jagan
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that Andhra Pradesh is expected to be spared much of the impact of an impending cyclone named Yaas.
In a review meeting, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed officials to take steps to mitigate the impact of the cyclone.
The officials informed the Chief Minister that they have alerted authorities of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts regarding the impending cyclone.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to ensure that COVID patients did not face any problems and that there are no disruptions in the supply of oxygen and electricity to hospitals.
He suggested that alternative sources of oxygen be arranged in case supplies from plants in Odisha are cut off due to the cyclone.
Flight services at Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Jharsuguda airports may be hit by cyclone
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday said flight operations at Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Jharsuguda and Durgapur airports are likely to be hit due to cyclone Yaas, while instructing other airports in the eastern region to be on alert in view of a possibility of change in path of cyclonic winds.
It also said that civil aviation authorities in the country are taking all precautions and keeping a close tab on the movement of cyclone, which is approaching the eastern coast of the country. “While flight operations at Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Jharsuguda and Durgapur airports are likely to be impacted by the cyclone; Ranchi, Patna, Raipur, Jamshedpur, Bagdogra, Cooch Behar, Vizag and Rajahmundry airports have been instructed to be on alert in case the cyclonic winds change path,” the AAI said in a release.
Kerala to receive isolated heavy rainfall
A few districts in Kerala are likely to receive isolated heavy rainfall till Wednesday under the influence of Cyclone Yaas which has formed in the Bay of Bengal.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has put Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts on yellow alert till Wednesday, given the likelihood of isolated heavy rainfall.
Other districts can expect light to moderate rainfall.
There are no curbs on fishing along the Kerala coast, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said.