The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday transported 102 passengers and 4.5 tonnes of cargo from Arakonam to Kalaikunda to aid the NDRF, with cyclone Yas anticipating arrival in Odisha and parts of West Bengal soon.
The operation was carried out with C-130 and two An-32 aircraft. Another C-130 to 62 passengers and 6.8 tonnes of cargo were flown from Lilabari to Kolkata. In addition, two IAF An-32 aircraft have been deployed to airlift 41 passengers and 4 tons of cargo from Lilabari to Panagarh.
The process of landfall of cyclone Yas started between Dhamra and Balasore in Odisha at around 9 am on Wednesday and is expected to continue for about three to four hours.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), there is a possibility of landfall around noon. People of Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand faced strong winds and heavy rains on Wednesday morning and were prepared to face the cyclone.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a meeting with the Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) on Tuesday through a virtual platform connecting the state control room and the cyclone dashboard. He also sought cooperation in evacuating people and directed the administration to monitor the situation regularly.