Cyclonic activities are known to disrupt electrical and water supply that may last for over a day. Internet and telecommunication lines may also be affected during the storm.
Bhubaneswar/Kolkata: West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh as well as the Andaman and Nicobar islands are bracing for Cyclone Yaas which will make landfall near Dhamra Port in Odisha’s Bhadrak district early Wednesday (26 May 2021), the weather department has alerted. Authorities across five states and one UT have already started the evacuation process in coastal districts, while teams of NDRF and state relief forces have been deployed for relief activities. However, cyclonic activities are known to disrupt electrical and water supply that may last for over a day. Internet and telecommunication lines may also be affected during the storm.
In such times, individuals must be prepared to ensure their essential needs are not disrupted due to the weather phenomenon
Here are 5 steps you can take to avoid inconvenience during Cyclone Yaas:
- Charge your smartphones, power banks: It is crucial to keep their smartphones, power banks and other power backups so you don’t miss any important calls. As the electricity may be cut for hours, it is important to keep your power backups fully charged as well for any kind of emergency. It is also advised to keep your phones in a waterproof pouch.
- Disable 4G internet connection: Disabling the 4G and 2G internet connection on your phone may help you save phone battery for even longer. So, for a day, keep your phone aside or at least use it on power saver mode with minimal brightness.
- Backup all important documents on Cloud: Backup all your important documents and files on Google Drive, iCloud or any other cloud storage app as a precautionary measure. Ensure that the physical copies of all these documents are kept safe in a waterproof pouch. You can also save your IDs on DigiLocker.
- Portable WiFi: Your home WiFi connection may not work during the cyclonic storm, especially with no electricity. As a result, it is advised to use a portable WiFi connection or hotspot if possible, to use the internet.
- Emergency light source: This is very crucial. Keep an emergency light source handy. You can opt for LED lights that work by charging on mobile phones and power banks if you don’t want to invest in expensive battery-powered lights. It is also a good idea to keep candles and matches handy, in case all else fails.
- Apart from gadget emergencies, one must also keep Bisleri cans ready as the cyclone may affect the water supply.
- The Odisha government has already issued a ‘red alert’ in four districts. A massive evacuation drive has been launched in all low-lying areas and vulnerable storm-surge pockets, following the IMD predicting a tidal surge of 2-4.5 meters during the landfall of Yaas. People living in low-lying and vulnerable areas in West Bengal have also started moving to the multipurpose cyclone shelter at Digha, East Midnapore, in view of cyclone Yaas.
