Yaas makes landfall near Dhamra, pocket tornado expected in Kolkata

Kolkata: ‘Yaas’ started the landfall process as a very severe cyclone from 9am on Wednesday, 50km north of Dhamra near Balasore in Odisha. T...

Kolkata: ‘Yaas’ started the landfall process as a very severe cyclone from 9am on Wednesday, 50km north of Dhamra near Balasore in Odisha. The landfall will continue for the next three hours in Dhamra under Bhadrak district. The cyclone had a huge impact on East Midnapore district's Digha and South 24-Parganas district. Dhamra is 100 km from Digha.

The IMD Regional Director Sanjib Bandopadhyay said, “The landfall started at 9.15 am near Dhamra and it will continue for the next 3 hours.”

Experts said the tail of the cyclone will enter Bengal’s coastal areas, especially East Midnapore and Sunderbans. There is a chance of a pocket tornado after 11.30 am in Kolkata and adjoining areas. The storm surge will be maximum fom11.30am to 2pm, say experts.  

‘Yaas’ lay centred at 5:30 am on  Wednesday over north-west Bay of Bengal about 40 km east of Dhamra in Odisha, 90 km south-southwest of Digha (West Bengal) and 90 km south-south-east of Balasore (Odisha). 

The West Bengal Chief Minister said, “Large areas of East Midnapore, especially Digha, and Kulpi, Kultali and Gosaba in Sunderbans in South 24-Paragans have been inundated. Dams have been broken and huge damages reported according to primary reports.” 

Mamata Banerjee, with her team of government officials are monitoring the cyclone 24X7  since May 25 from a control room at the state secretariat. She said around 13 lakh people were evacuated ahead of the cyclone.

Several NDRF team have been pressed into action in East Midnapore. In Digha, the roads have been inundated underwater.

“Very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Jhargram, Bankura, South 24-Parganas and heavy fall at isolated places over Purulia, Nadia, Murshidabad, east Bardhaman, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, North 24-Parganas is expected,” the IMD said in its bulletin.

Meanwhile, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar airports have been closed till May 26.

“Gale wind speed reaching 130-140 kmph gusting 155 kmph is prevailing over Northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off the north Odisha coast and the adjoining West Bengal coast including Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore districts of Odisha and east Medinipur and South 24-Parganas districts of West Bengal, according to a morning bulletin by IMD.