Cyclone Yaas intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday evening, India Meteorological Department Director General M Mohapatra said. The IMD has also issued a red-coded warning alert to the Odisha and West Bengal coasts.
"The severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' (pronounced as 'Yass') over northwest and Bay of Bengal intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm," Mohapatra said.
It is very likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach near north Odisha coast close to Dhamra port by the early morning of Wednesday.
"It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Islands close to north of Dhamra and south of Balasore, during noon of Wednesday, the 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm," the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said.
The cyclone is being tracked by Doppler Weather Radar at Paradip, it added.
Here are the latest updates:
Army, Navy deploy relief teams in West Bengal
With severe cyclone Yaas set to make landfall on the Eastern coast on May 26, the Army and Navy deployed relief and diving teams in West Bengal in coordination with the local administration. In addition, the Navy and Coast Guard have also kept ships and aircraft on standby.
As part of the preparations in West Bengal, the Navy said two Navy diving teams and five Flood Relief Teams (FRT), comprising specialised Navy personnel with associated equipment and inflatable boats, have been deployed to the State.
“In addition, one diving and two FRT each have been positioned at Digha and Frazerganj on May 23 and 24 respectively. One FRT has been kept on standby at Diamond Harbour, for redeployment as necessary, at short notice,” it said in a statement.
Odisha shifts over 2 lakh people to cyclone shelters by 4 p.m.
The Odisha government has shifted 2,10,621 people to different shelters in 15 districts amidst heavy rain under the influence of very severe cyclone, Yaas, by Tuesday afternoon.
In Balasore district, 74,132 people were in different cyclone shelters and other additional buildings while Bhadrak district the administration evacuated 73,103 people by 4 p.m. The evacuation would continue till late night.
Dry foods have been pre-positioned in shelters and three government officers would remain in charge of each shelter.
‘Yaas’ to intensify into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm in next 12 hours
Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Yaas’ is likely to intensify further into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm during the next 12 hours, a bulletin of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Kolkata said on Tuesday.
The cyclonic storm that lay centered over east central & adjoining west central Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of about 17 kmph in the past six hours. At about 0830 hours, it was located about 280 km south-southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 380 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha), 370 km south-southeast of Digha (West Bengal) and 370 km south-southwest of Sagar Islands (West Bengal).
“It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island close to north of Dhamra and south of Balasore, during the noon of Wednesday, the 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm,” G.K. Das, deputy director and head of the RMC said.
High tide during ‘Yaas’ landfall matter of concern: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said nine lakh people have been evacuated from the coastal areas of the State in view of impending cyclone ‘Yaas’.
Ms. Banerjee told journalists that the landfall of ‘Yaas’ is going to coincide with the full moon high tide, which raises the danger of breaching of embankments in several areas.
“The water in rivers and seas swell up during full moon high tide. One can easily look at the Ganga and see how much water has risen,” she said.
After path becomes clearer, Odisha expedites evacuation
With very severe cyclonic storm, Yaas, predicted to cross the Odisha coast between Bhadrak and Balasore districts, the State government on Tuesday expedited evacuation of people from low-lying areas and brought more areas under its disaster management operation.
“We had started the process of evacuation from Monday. As of now, more than 60,000 people have been evacuated. People are also showing interest to get shifted to safer places. We hope the evacuation process to be completed by evening,” said Pradeep Kumar Jena, Special Relief Commissioner.
According to State SRC, the State has identified 860 permanent shelters and 6031 additional shelters which collectively could accommodate 7.5 lakh people.
“However, we are not fixing any target of evacuating people. We have asked district administration to keep all public buildings in to-be affected areas open for emergency situations,” he said. Five senior IAS officers assigned to oversee cyclone preparedness are functioning in close coordination with district administrations.
Calcutta HC cancels all matters listed for May 26-27
Newsagency ANI says Calcutta High Court has cancelled the hearing of all matters listed for May 26 and 27, in view of the warning issued by India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the cyclonic storm.
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.
