Cyclone Yaas struck the north Odisha coast about 20 km south of Balasore between 10.30 and 11 am today with wind speeds of 130-140 km per hour gusting up to 150 kmph but started weakening after the landfall as it moved towards Jharkhand in the hinterland. The coastal districts of West Bengal were also badly hit with several houses being washed away.
Authorities said more than 10 lakh people had been moved out of the storm's path, while television channels flashed pictures of rough seas, strong winds and rains lashing the coastal region of Odisha, with shops and homes barricaded to take the impact.
At least two people died in Bengal's Digha as the coastal town was battered by waves the height of a double-decker bus, news agency AFP reported. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said one person died in a building collapse and another was dragged out to sea.
In Bengal around 20,000 mud houses and temporary shelters were either destroyed or damaged, Banerjee was cited by news agency Reuters as saying.
Also read: Cyclone Yaas likely to slam Odisha-West Bengal coast at 160 kmph today, Army & Navy on high alert
Bengal minister Bankim Hazra said: "I have not seen anything like this before. Successive high tides battered the coastline. It is inundation all around and villages are cut off,” he added.
Kolkata airport has shut down operations and Indian Railways has announced the cancellation of all trains in the region.
This is the second Cyclone to hit India after Tauktae which tore into the western coast, triggering mass evacuations adding to problems faced by authorities fighting a deadly second wave of coronavirus.
Arm and Navy ready to help
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.
“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.
NDRF chief SN Pradhan said a record 115 teams have been deployed across five states and one Union Territory. National Disaster Management Authority member Kamal Kishore said they have advised hospitals and healthcare organisations to make contingency arrangements for power and oxygen supply.
