Cyclone Yaas predicted to have a shorter lifespan than Amphan but could be more destructive and yellow alert over Odisha and Bengal declared.
Last night, parts of Odisha and Bengal were hit with stormy weather, a sounding alarming of the impending cyclone. Now, the cyclonic storm ‘Yaas’ moved slowly north-northwestwards and is predicted to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours, the IMD said.
Cyclonic storm Yaas is to make landfall near Balasore in north Odisha with a speed of 155 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, around noon on May 26, according to the Met department on Monday.
Union Home Minister, Amit Shah held a conference meeting, through video conferencing on Monday with the Chief Ministers of Odisha, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh and the Lt. Governor of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, to evaluate their readiness and that of Central Ministries and agencies concerned, to deal with the situation arising out of Cyclone ‘Yaas’, which is developing in the Bay of Bengal.
The IMD has issued a fresh rain alert for Odisha and West Bengal. The greatest danger warning has been issued for Dhamra and Paradip ports of Odisha. It would intensify further and reach Northwest Bay of Bengal near north Odisha and West Bengal coasts very close to Chandbali-Dhamra port by the early morning of Wednesday, the 26th May. “It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of Wednesday, the 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm,” the IMD said in its latest update on Tuesday.
The NDRF has employed 109 teams in six states, including Odisha and West Bengal. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from coastal areas of both states to safer areas.
Balasore Collector: “We are focusing on the evacuation of people from low-lying areas. 1,200 centers to be used as shelters have been sanitized due to the Covid situation. We have health teams deployed at these centers. Power restoration and road clearance teams deployed.”
Yaas is forecasted to be about as intense as Cyclone Tauktae which crashed into the west coast last week and perhaps could be as violent as Cyclone Amphan which hit Bengal exactly one year ago and for about three devastating minutes sustained wind speeds of 240 kmp where at least 80 people or more tragically lost their lives.