New Delhi, May 20, 2020: At least three people were killed on May 20 as Cyclone Amphan, one of the worst storms over the Bay of Bengal in years, pounded the eastern Indian states of Bengal and Odisha.
The cyclone, whose eye was about 30 km in diameter, made landfall with gusting winds of up to 185 kmph and waves about 15 feet tall, destroyed thousands of houses, damaged buildings, uprooted trees and electricity poles in Bengal.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the impact of Amphan was worse than the coronavirus pandemic and claimed damages due to the cyclone could be around 1,000 billion rupees. More than 500,000 people had been taken to shelters in West Bengal and over 100,000 in Odisha.
Banerjee told a press conference in Kolkata that three people have died, but that the number may rise to about 12. She said North and South 24 Parganas districts were the worst hit and that Bengal “will have to rebuild everything.”
The wind speed was 110-120 km per hour when it reached Howrah, Kolkata and Hoogli, a senior IMD official told reporters. Amphan weakened from a super cyclone to an “extremely severe cyclonic storm” on May 19, causing strong winds and heavy rain in parts of Odisha and Bengal as it advanced towards the India’s eastern coast.
The authorities have scrambled to evacuate low-lying areas in Amphan’s projected trail of destruction, the second “super cyclone” to form over the Bay of Bengal since records began. But their task is complicated by the need to follow precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, with infection numbers still soaring in both countries and hospitals struggling to cope.
The met office warned of possible flying objects, “extensive” damage to communications and power lines, and trees being ripped out of the ground by the wind. Kolkata was battered by heavy rain and the muddy Hooghly River was rising under dark skies, while in the coastal resort of Digha, large waves were pounding the shore.
National Disaster Response Force chief S N Pradhan said the storm is “a double challenge” for the country amid fight against coronavirus. “Forty-one teams of NDRF are on duty. Evacuating people is a double challenge. We have to ensure social distancing during these operations,” Pradhan said.
In Kolkata, the airport has been shut till 5 am tomorrow after the city, close to the coast, was put on alert. Visuals showed strong winds and winds battering coastal parts including Paradip in Odisha and South 24 Paraganas in Bengal. Seven districts in Bengal faced the direct impact of the cyclone.
Earlier on May 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the response measures and preparedness to tackle the storm. Modi later tweeted they discussed the response measures as well as evacuation plans. “I pray for everyone’s safety and assure all possible support from the Central Government,” he added.
“Amphan”, pronounced as “Um-pun” and means sky in Thai language.
Source: ndtv.com