The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’ Yaas, which made landfall in Odisha on Wednesday morning, crossed north Odisha coast about 20 km south of Balasore during 10:30 am to 11:30 am with an estimated wind speed of 130-140 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph. It then moved northwards and lay centred over north coastal Odisha, about 15 km south-southwest of Balasore at 11:30 am. The weather agency said it is likely to move north-northwestwards and weaken gradually into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 3 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 6 hours. Odisha’s Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said, “The sea will remain rough till Thursday and the accompanying rain will continue. The wind will slow down by the evening and the cyclone is likely to leave Odisha for Jharkhand by midnight.” The Met department has predicted very heavy rain (more than 200 mm) over Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keojhargharh and heavy showers over Puri, Khurda, Angul, Deogarh, Sundergarh districts of Odisha on Wednesday. The IMD has predicted light to moderate rainfall at isolated places in West Bengal today while Jharkhand is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain today and tomorrow. In West Bengal, the coastal districts of Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas were inundated as a result of rising waters due to the landfall of cyclone Yaas. Water levels of several rivers including Bidyadhari, Hooghly and Rupnarayan have risen owing to the cyclone and the accompanying storm surge. An official said over 3 lakh people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in Odisha. Cyclone Yaas has already caused two deaths and damage to homes as severe weather and rains affect Odisha and West Bengal.
10 moved to safety by rescue team after boat capsizes in river
The NDRF, along with the district administration of Jagatsinghpur in Odisha, has rescued 10 people from a river after their boat capsized, amid rough weather conditions under the influence of cyclone Yaas, news agency PTI reported. In a video tweeted by the Jagatsinghpur district collector, rescue personnel on Tuesday night can be seen holding on to an inflatable boat as people disembarked. Jagatsinghpur district collector Sangram K Mohapatra said in a tweet on Wednesday, “Fantastic work by NDRF and BDO, Erasama during #CycloneYaas rescuing 10 people in the late night from a river after their boat capsized.” He further said that the arduous operation was carried out in the midst of light drizzle and 45-kmph wind speed. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also lauded the rescue effort. “Appreciate the quick response from the team of @NDRFHQ and Erasama BDO to rescue 10 people from a capsized boat in the river, during a courageous night time rescue operation,” he said in a tweet.
ODRAF carries out road clearing operations after cyclone Yaas landfall
Odisha Police Wednesday said Jagatsinghpur ODRAF (Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force) team cleared roads in Paradeep Municipal area, after cyclone Yaas made landfall in the state. Below are some visuals of the road-clearing operation (ANI)
High alert in Jharkhand, evacuation on amid cyclone Yaas threat
Jharkhand, which was put on high alert, continued evacuating low-lying areas on Wednesday amid the forecast that cyclone Yaas would be hitting the state by midnight after pounding neighbouring Odisha and West Bengal, officials said. Disaster Management Secretary Amitabh Kaushal told news agency PTI, “Operations are being executed on war-footing in the vulnerable areas in East and West Singhbhum, besides some other districts, in view of the very severe cyclonic storm Yaas.” “We are witnessing high-speed wind and have evacuated about 6,000 persons from thatched houses and danger zones to shelter homes in safer locations,” East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Suraj Kumar said. People are being shifted from low-lying areas near the two rivers in the district that are below the danger mark at present, he added.
Large parts of of Bengal’s coastal districts inundated
Rising river water levels due to the landfall of cyclone ‘Yaas’ have inundated large parts of West Bengal’s coastal districts of Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas on Wednesday, as sea waves were seen touching coconut tree-tops and cars floating in floodwaters. The seaside towns of Digha and Mandarmoni in Purba Medinipur and Fraserganj and Gosaba in South 24 Parganas were among the areas affected by a storm surge of more than 2 metres above the astronomical tide level, news agency PTI reported. Officials said the surging waters have breached embankments at several places in the two coastal districts, inundating many villages and small towns. Water levels of several rivers including Bidyadhari, Hooghly and Rupnarayan have risen owing to Yaas and accompanying storm surge.
Jharkhand to receive heavy rain today and tomorrow
Ranchi experienced a change in weather in wake of Cyclone Yass, which made landfall in Odisha on Wednesday morning. The IMD said Jharkhand will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall today and tomorrow with extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places.
Heavy rain likely in Odisha, West Bengal
IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra Wednesday said Cyclone Yaas is crossing Odisha border, south of Balasore. “It’ll reach Jharkhand tomorrow morning. It caused heavy to extremely heavy rain in Odisha in past 24 hrs. North Odisha & coastal Odisha expected to receive heavy to extremely heavy rain today,” he said. The IMD DG said West Bengal is expected to receive isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall today. Jharkhand will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall today and tomorrow with extremely heavy rainfall in isolated places. “Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim are expected to receive isolated heavy rainfall to very heavy rainfall today and tomorrow. Assam and Meghalaya expected to receive isolated heavy rainfall today,” Mohapatra said.
Six flights from Mumbai to Bhubaneswar cancelled
At least six flights between Mumbai to Bhubaneshwar have been cancelled in view of Cyclone Yaas, Mumbai Airport PRO said on Wednesday. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has witnessed the cancellation of flights between Mumbai to Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Approx 6 flights have been cancelled so far. Flights to other regions continue to operate on schedule,” he said.
Landfall to continue over next 2 hours
The process of the landfall of ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’ Yaas began south of Odisha’s Balasore town around 9 am on Wednesday. It is expected to be completed before 1 pm. The current intensity of the wind is 130-140 kmph, gusting to 155 kmph. “The landfall is taking place in Bahanga and Remuna block, south of Balasore town. Maximum impact will be in Balasore and Bhadrak districts. The wind speed will be in the range of 130-140 kmph. Wind speed will be about 100 kmph even in Mayurbhanj district,” Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Jena said. Since Tuesday night, coastal districts of Odisha and northern parts of the state received heavy to very heavy rain. “Highest rainfall of 304 mm was recorded at Kusumi in Mayurbhanj district followed by 288 mm in Chandbali and 275 mm in Rajnagar. At 36 locations, the rainfall was measured between 110 mm and 304 mm,” Jena said. “Several low-lying areas close to the coast in Balasore and Bhadrak districts were inundated due to heavy rain and tidal surge,” he added. As per the latest update by the IMD, tidal waves of height 2-3 metres above astronomical tide will continue to inundate low-lying areas of Balasore and Bhadrak and about 2 meters above astronomical tide are likely to inundate low-lying areas of Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur district. According to officials, the cyclone would cross Mayurbhanj and enter Jharkhand around midnight. Over 5 lakh people have been evacuated and shifted to cyclone shelters. Nine districts of the state were placed under high alert ahead of the landfall. Residents have been advised to not venture out until 4 pm in the evening. “We will carry out restoration work in Balasore and Bhadrak district only after the full completion of the landfall process. We have asked the district administrations of Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts to make an assessment of the situation,” he said.
Army launches rescue operation in East Midnapore
The Indian Army Wednesday launched a rescue column to rescue 32 civilians stuck due to a surge in water levels in East Midnapore. “To provide immediate support to people in emerging situation due to #CycloneYaas, briefing, joint recce, liaison & coordination with WB govt has been completed. Rescue and Relief columns are pre-positioned across areas expected to be affected for immediate response,” an official from the Army told news agency ANI.
Coastal areas of West Bengal flooded
Cyclonic storm Yaas made landfall at 9.15 am on Wednesday near Balasore in Odisha and it will continue up to three hours. According to the state administration, massive damage occurred due to high tides. The Meteorological department said the tide height touched more than 5.5 meter in many places in East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas. Many places were flooded as a result of sea water entering the coastal villages in these two districts. 17 Army personnel have been deployed in East Midnapore to evacuate people and to carry out the rescue operations. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “In Midnapore 70 km embankment flooded and in South 24 Parganas at least 15 areas, sea water entered into the villages. The people of Nandigram also called me some time ago. They said, in Sonachura and kendamari area already flooded.” She further said, “Because of high tide with cyclonic storm, it became havoc in the coastal districts. Already we evacuated 11.5 lakh people and requesting them not to return to their house. because the situation will be worsen. we are saying that, please return house only when we will confirm that, no further devastation will happen.” According to the administration, the water level of Ganga is increasing in Kolkata also. All lock gates have already been closed to stop the river water from entering into the city area. All flyovers have also been closed due to possibility of high winds accompanied by heavy rainfall.
Water from the sea floods residential areas in Bhadrak district
Water from the sea flooded the residential areas in Dhamra of Bhadrak district on Wednesday. The IMD said that the landfall process of Cyclone Yaas will take around 3 hours to complete.
Rain lashes West Bengal, Odisha
Heavy rain lashed Odisha and West Bengal under the influence of cyclone Yaas, which made landfall in Odisha on Wednesday morning. Here is a video of the rainfall that took place this morning.
Landfall to continue for 3-4 hours
Odisha Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena said the landfall process for cyclone Yaas began around 9 am Wednesday and is expected to continue for 3-4 hours. “It’s expected that by around 1 pm, tail end of cyclone will also be completely moving to landmass. It’s making landfall between Dhamra & Balasore,” he told news agency ANI. Jena said it will continue to move in Balasore district till afternoon, after which it will enter Mayurbhanj district. Wind speed is estimated to be around 120-140 kmph. It is expected that this wind speed will continue in Balasore district around 120-140 kmph, he added. “In Mayurbhanj district, the wind speed is expected to be around 100-110 km per hour. After that, it will gradually slow down,” the Special Relief Commissioner said.
Heavy rainfall, thunderstorms predicted in Assam, Meghalaya
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Guwahati has predicted heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya under the impact of cyclone Yaas, which has made landfall in Orissa on Wednesday morning. The two northeastern states have been given an ‘orange warning’ which means there will be heavy to very heavy rainfall as well as thunder and lightning at isolated places on May 26. A release from the RMC said that the storm could lead to localised flooding of roads, waterlogging in low-lying areas, localised landlines and minor damage to kutcha roads. It advised the public to avoid going to areas that face waterlogging and staying in structures that were vulnerable. The RMC also said that Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram Tripura may see light to moderate rainfall. There could also be thunderstorms. It said that “strong surface winds may cause minor damage to plantation, horticulture and standing crops” and there were possibilities of “damage to vulnerable structures due to temporary gusty winds.” On Monday, Assam Chief Minister said that Union Minister Amit Shah had enquired about the cyclone preparedness of the northeastern states, which would affect the region on May 26 and 27. ‘Informed that emergency services have been pressed into action’ he tweeted.
Water from the sea enters residential areas in East Midnapiore
Water from the sea enters residential areas along New Digha Sea Beach in East Midnapore, West Bengal. ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’ Yaas lay centred about 50 km South-Southeast of Balasore (Odisha), said IMD. Landfall began at 9 am on Wednesday.
Cyclone Yaas makes landfall in Odisha
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’ Yaas centred about 50 km South-Southeast of Balasore (Odisha) has made landfall around 9 am Wednesay.
Odisha has placed nine districts on high alert with the meteorological department warning that Cyclone Yaas will make landfall near the Dhamra coast in Bhadrak Wednesday morning — all of these districts are in the Covid red zone with more than 1,000 active cases each. On Tuesday, the state government added Jajpur, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and Bhadrak to the list of districts under cyclone threat, apart from Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Balasore, Mayurbhanj and Cuttack where heavy rainfall is expected. Of these, Cuttack tops the Covid chart with 57,061 cases and 154 deaths in all, with an active caseload of 9,721. The Health Department has asked these districts to keep kits ready for immediate screening and testing after the cyclone. The state has also decided to suspend all work related to Covid, including testing, vaccination and door surveys, from May 25-27.
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