Jharkhand on high alert after cyclone Yaas batters Odisha, West Bengal

 | Updated: May 26, 2021, 06:09 PM IST

The Disaster Management Department has alerted authorities to take immediate action as cities such as Ranchi in Jharkhand are likely to be flooded due to heavy rainfall.

Cyclone 'Yaas'

Beaches in Bengal's Digha lay inundated, with some people seen wading through chest-deep water, as the tourist town and its adjoining places bore the brunt of Cyclone 'Yaas', which made its landfall in neighbouring Odisha on Wednesday morning.

Many areas in Purba Medinipur, of which Digha is a part, and South 24 Parganas were whiplashed by heavy rain, which accompanied the cyclonic storm.

Security personnel have been deployed at all vulnerable locations in the state to help and rescue people caught in the storm.

With the COVID-induced lockdown in place, market places remained largely remained shut and people stayed indoors.

At Ramnagar in Purba Medinipur, soldiers who were called in for relief operations, quickly fanned into localities that almost resembled lakes with trees jutting out.

 

(Photograph:AFP)

Cyclone Yaas

A school, situated along the coast in Shankarpur, was washed away by the high and mighty sea waves.

In coastal Frazerganj, South 24 Parganas district, people struggled to move to safety along with their cattle, as roads were left water-logged amid heavy rain.

A landmover machine was seen turned upside down, with villagers perched atop, as swirling flood waters entered homes in the rural areas. Street dogs were spotted swimming on the flooded roads.

The compound of the much-revered Kapil Muni Temple in Sagar Islands lay submerged, as tall waves crashed over the boardwalks.

Kolkata and some of its surrounding areas were battered by intermittent rain and gusty wind since morning, with civic officials and disaster management force personnel on toes to tackle eventualities.

(Photograph:AFP)

Cyclone 'Yaas'

At least one crore people were affected and three lakh houses damaged in West Bengal due to the rough weather conditions arising out of cyclone 'Yaas'. 

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that as many as 15,04,506 people have been evacuated from the vulnerable areas in the state and moved to safer places.

Cyclone 'Yaas' made its landfall on Wednesday morning near Dhamra port in Odisha, at 130-140 kmph, gusting to 155 kmph, according to Doppler radar data.

(Photograph:AFP)

Cyclone Yaas

At least 15,04,506 people have been evacuated from the vulnerable areas in West Bengal and moved to safer places. 

Jharkhand which was put on high alert continued evacuating low-lying areas amid the forecast that cyclone Yaas would be hitting the state by midnight after pounding neighbouring Odisha and West Bengal.

Operations are being been executed on a war footing in the vulnerable areas in east and west Singhbhum besides some other districts.

Cyclone Yaas pounded the beach towns in north Odisha and West Bengal as it hit the coast around 9 am with a wind speed of 130-140 kmph, inundating the low-lying areas amid a storm surge, however, it is likely to move to Jharkhand with a lesser intensity by midnight.

(Photograph:AFP)
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Cyclone Yaas

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has asked officials to be on their toes to deal with any emergency situation.

The COVID-19 vaccination drives have been suspended till Thursday in some parts of the state in view of heavy rainfall and lightning. Door-to-door testing for COVID-19 has also been halted.

The districts of Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur, Garhwa and Palamu may witness "very rough seas" condition with a wind speed of 52-61 kmph, the weather department said.

 

 

(Photograph:AFP)

Cyclone Yaas

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) said as many as six flights, including three departures, have been cancelled in view of cyclone Yaas in the Bay of Bengal.

The flights to other regions, however, continue to operate as per schedule. 

About 404 rescue teams including 52 from the NDRF, 60 from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), 205 fire service teams and 86 groups of tree-cutters have been deployed in the vulnerable districts of Odisha.

West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh too have deployed large numbers of disaster relief personnel, police and fire brigade for rescue operations.

(Photograph:AFP)

Cyclone Yaas

The landfall process of very severe cyclonic storm Yaas began at 9 am on Wednesday near the Dhamra port in Odisha's Bhadrak district. 

The location of the landfall was north of Dhamra and south of Bahanaga, close to Bahanaga block, on the coast, around 50 km of Balasore.

The Met department also warned of tidal waves of two-four metres height above astronomical tide to inundate low - lying coastal areas of East Midnapore, and of two metres above astronomical tide in low-lying areas of South 24 Parganas.

(Photograph:AFP)

Cyclone Yaas

The Disaster Management Department has alerted authorities to take immediate action as cities such as Ranchi in Jharkhand are likely to be flooded due to heavy rainfall.

There was no report of any major damage in Odisha though some incidents of trees getting uprooted have taken place.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said most parts of the state were affected by the cyclone and the rain it brought along. In the 24 hours till 8.30 am, Digha received 5.5 cm rainfall, Diamond Harbour got 3.3 cm rainfall, Haldia 3.2 cm rainfall.

Kolkata got 2.24 cm rainfall, Salt Lake received 3.05 cm rains, Contai got 5.42 cm rains and Kalaikunda received 2.2 cm rainfall.

(Photograph:AFP)