Tropical Cyclone Amphan

Top officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) briefed the media over cyclone Amphan on Tuesday and said that Amphan will be ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ when it makes landfall on May 20.

                                   

Live updates with Deccanherald

NDRF Director General SN Pradhan said that there are 24 teams on standby and every battalion that has been deployed has 4 teams.

IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said Amphan is the most intense cyclone and the second super cyclone which has been formed in the Bay of Bengal after 1999.

Resister for sms based cyclone alart

“Its wind speed in the sea right now is 200-240 kilometre per hour (kmph). It is moving towards the north-northwestward direction,” Mohapatra said.

                                                    

Pradhan informed that 15 teams are deployed in Odisha currently. “They are carrying out awareness drives, communication drives, and evacuation. 19 teams are deployed in West Bengal, 2 in standby there.” he said.

Cyclone Amphan Live updates with TV18

The NDRF chief added that the country is facing a dual challenge of Covid-19 and cyclone Amphan.

Mohapatra said, in West Bengal, the cyclone could affect districts like North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts. Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah and West Midnapore districts will face wind speed of 110-120 kmph gusting up to 135 kmph, he added.

Telecom secretary Anshu Prakash said that SMS alerts are being generated for people in affected districts for evacuation purposes.

“It is up to state governments to decide the frequency of those alerts. It’s free of cost. It’ll be in local languages,” Prakash said.

Super cyclonic storm Amphan, over west-central Bay of Bengal, moved north-northeastwards with a speed of 170 kmph and lay centred at around 11:30 am on 19th May 2020 as an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ over west-central Bay of Bengal.

Cyclone Amphan live updates with TOI

According to the IMD, Amphan is likely to move north-northeastwards across the northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal – Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbans during the afternoon to evening hours of 20th May 2020.

Expected damage

Interior districts of Gangetic West Bengal are likely to see minor damage to communication and power lines while major damage is expected for kutcha(uncemented, non-bricked houses) and some pucca roads in the region, the IMD said. 

People are urged to stay indoors as trees as small trees are likely to get uprooted due to the super cyclone.

Super cyclone Amphan is expected to make landfall on the coast on West Bengal and Bangladesh on Wednesday evening. Amphan, which was about 120-kilometre east-southeast of Paradip, Odisha at 8:30 am today will cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sunderbans today.