Thousands of locals were evacuated as Cyclone Yaas is set to make landfall days after Cyclone Tauktae, which was also of similar intensity, killed more than 100 people in the country’s western coastal states.
Several districts in Odisha were on Tuesday placed on high alert as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued warnings for extremely heavy rains ahead of Cyclone Yaas’ landfall. A red alert was issued for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Balasore districts for Tuesday and Wednesday. “We have issued the highest danger warning for Dhamra and Paradip ports,” IMD Bhubaneswar said.
For Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda and Puri, IMD issued an orange alert for Tuesday as the weather department predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall. Wind speeds of 150-160kmph gusting 180kmph are expected as Cyclone Yaas, which is brewing in the Bay of Bengal, may make landfall by the afternoon on Wednesday, IMD also said.
Thousands of locals were evacuated as Cyclone Yaas is set to make landfall days after Cyclone Tauktae, which was also of similar intensity, killed more than 100 people in the country’s western coastal states. “Cyclone Yaas is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of Wednesday, the 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm,” IMD said in its bulletin.
Meanwhile, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik directed the state’s home minister to reach Balasore and remain there to monitor the situation ahead of the ‘very severe cyclonic storm.’ He also urged people living in the coastal regions of Odisha to cooperate with the local administration and shift to cyclone shelters. As the cyclone crisis coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic situation, complicating the rescue work, the Odisha chief minister also asked the state residents to adhere to Covid-19 protocols and wear two masks.
In terms of preparedness, more than 800 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) personnel are in a high state of readiness for Cyclone Yaas. On Monday, the state government prepared a list of high-risk districts and assigned them to senior officers to supervise relief, rehabilitation and restoration work. The Indian Air Force and Indian Navy have also kept helicopters and vessels ready for the relief and rescue work.
