Cyclone Yaas likely to slam Odisha-West Bengal coast at 160 kmph today, Army & Navy on high alert

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<strong>Cyclone Yaas has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm and is likely to slam north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island at noon today with wind speeds gusting up to 185 km per hour.</strong></p>
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Cyclonic storm Yaas is very likely 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, the Met department said.</p>
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Yaas is expected to be about as intense as Cyclone Tauktae which hit the west coast last week.</p>
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The cyclone is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island, met office chief M Mohapatra said.</p>
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Lakhs of people in Bengal have been evacuated to safer places. Officials said it has been a challenge to provide them accommodation while maintaining social distancing to prevent the spread of Covid-19.</p>
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The South Eastern Railways has announced the cancellation of several passenger special trains till Wednesday and Kolkata airport has shut down operations.</p>
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Odisha's districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are likely to be affected. In Bengal, the districts of West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas — and state capital Kolkata — may experience a storm with wind speeds of up to 120 km per hour.</p>
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The army has deployed 17 columns– each with around 100 men –  in Bengal, nine of them have been stationed in Kolkata. The rest are in Purulia, Birbhum, Bardhaman, Howrah Hooghly, Nadia and North 24 Parganas districts.Besides, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, 54,000 officers and relief workers, 2 lakh police and Home Guard personnel, will also be deployed.</p>
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“The Indian Navy is closely monitoring the movement of the Cyclonic Storm. Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, and Naval Officers-in-Charge at West Bengal and Odisha Area have carried out preparatory activities to combat the effects of Cyclone ‘Yaas’ and is in constant liaison with the State Administrations for rendering assistance as required,” the  defence ministry said in a statement.</p>
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NDRF chief SN Pradhan said a record 115 teams have been deployed across five states and one Union Territory.</p>
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National Disaster Management Authority member Kamal Kishore said they have advised hospitals and healthcare organisations to make contingency arrangements for power and oxygen supply.</p>
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While conditions in Bay of Bengal — including high surface temperature of water — are conducive for cyclones, experts attributed their increasing frequency and intensity to climate change. The super cyclone of 1999 had killed around 10,000 people in Odisha.</p>
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