Cyclone Yaas to weaken in 3 hours over Jharkhand, says IMD, state on high alert
Three people died in Odisha and one person was killed in West Bengal on Wednesday.
Cyclone Yaas, which hit Odisha and West Bengal on Wednesday, is likely to move north-west wards in the next three hours and weaken into a deep depression over Jharkhand, the India Meteorological Department’s update at 8.15 pm said. The state is on high alert and over 10,000 people have been evacuated.
Three people died in Odisha and one person was killed in West Bengal on Wednesday. More than 20 lakh people have been evacuated.
At least 1 crore people have been affected and three lakh homes were damaged in the aftermath of the cyclone in West Bengal, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Read the top updates of the day:
10.58 pm: Three people died in Odisha and one person was killed in West Bengal on Wednesday as Cyclone Yaas hit India’s eastern coast.
Read more here: Cyclone Yaas: Four killed, over 20 lakh evacuated in Odisha, West Bengal
10.56 pm: As per the India Meteorological Department’s update at 8.15 pm, the storm lay centred over north Odisha. It is likely to move north-west wards in the next three hours and weaken into a deep depression, the weather department added.
Jharkhand is on high alert in view of the storm, which is expected to hit the state by midnight, PTI reported. More than 10,000 people have been moved to safer places.
10.46 pm: Flight operations have resumed at the Kolkata airport.
10.43 pm: Three Indian Coast Guard ships are approaching the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha to perform “situational assessment” after the cyclone, PTI reports, quoting the Ministry of Defence.
10.40 pm: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviews the situation in the state after Cyclone Yaas’s landfall. He announces relief measures for families in the 128 villages hit by the cyclone, ANI reports.
6.45 pm: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee says at least 1 crore people have been affected and three lakh homes were damaged in the aftermath of the cyclone, reports Hindustan Times.
6.40 pm: India Meterological Department official Mrutyunjay Mohapatra says that Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha and West Bengal are among the affected areas, reports ANI.
“It will have impact on Jharkhand today and tomorrow,” he says. “Odisha recorded highest rainfall and sea waves of two to four metre high were recorded in north Odisha and adjoining districts of WB.”
6.38 pm: Indian Army personnel has conducted rescue operations from inundated areas of Talgachari in West Bengal’s East Medinipur district, reports ANI.
6.35 pm: The NDRF says it has rescued three people from drowning in East Medinipur district of West Bengal.
6.31 pm: The weather department’s 5.18 pm update says that the severe cyclonic storm Yaas is centred over northeast Odisha about 35 km west-northwest of Balasore district. “It is likely to move northwestwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during the next two hours,” the bulletin reads.
5.07 pm: The Odisha special relief commissioner says over 1.05 lakh have been evacuated and the authorities are keeping an eye on wind velocity and damage in Mayurbhanj district. “We’ve seen large-scale uprooting of trees. Roads are being cleared continuously,” he adds.
5.06 pm: “Cyclone Yaas has completed the landfall process,” Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep K Jena tells ANI. “It started around 9 am and around 1 pm information received from Collector Balasore as well as Bhadrak that wind has subsided in all the coastal zones.”
5.05 pm: Restoration work is being done in the affected areas of Odisha due to Cyclone Yaas.
4.59 pm: The Indian Meteorological Department says the the “severe cyclonic storm” is centred over north coastal Odisha, about 15 km west of Balasore district. “It is likely to move north-northwestwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm during [the] next six hours,” the latest bulletin says.
Cyclone Yaas to weaken into cyclonic storm in the next six hours, says IM
2.07 pm: “Very severe” cyclone Yaas weakens into “severe storm”, says weather department. At 12.30 pm, the storm was located 15 kilometres west-southwest of Balasore in Odisha.
2.04 pm: Jharkhand continues evacuating low-lying areas amid forecasts that cyclone Yaas would be hitting the state by midnight, PTI reports, quoting officials.
2.02 pm: Rising river water levels due to landfall of the cyclone have inundated large parts of West Bengal’s coastal districts of East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas, reports PTI.
1.08 pm: The Eastern Command of the Indian Army, on requisition, is working in coordination with the West Bengal government and has deployed a total of 17 cyclone relief teams, reports PTI.
1.02 pm: The India Meteorological Department says that the cyclone lay centred over the Bay of Bengal, about 25 km south of Balasore at 10.30 am. The intensity of the wind is 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph, the weather agency says.
12.57 pm: Eastern Railway General Manager Manoj Joshi says that all trains have been cancelled in view of the cyclone and a dedicated control room has been established, reports ANI.
12.54 pm: Three fishermen from Thiruvananthapuram go missing after a group ventured into the sea and winds destroyed their vessel, reports the Hindustan Times. Seven of them managed to swim back and were hospitalised. The coast guard and the police have started a search for the missing fishermen.
12.52 pm: Many areas in Kerala witness heavy rainfall under the influence of cyclone Yaas, reports the Hindustan Times. A yellow alert has been sounded in at least nine districts of the state. The winds uprooted many trees and destroyed houses in several parts of the state.
12.50 pm: The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai says it has cancelled six flights, including three departures, in view of the Cyclone Yaas in the Bay of Bengal, reports PTI. In a statement, the airport says that flights to other regions will operate according to the schedule.
11.33 am: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee says damage has been reported in embankment at several places in Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas district of the state, reports The Hindu. About 11 lakh people evacuated from coastal areas of West Bengal.
11.25 am: The Indian Army says rescue teams are pre-positioned across areas for immediate response to mitigate the impact of Cyclone Yaas.
11.22 am: The India Meteorological Department says current intensity of the cyclonic storm is 130-140 km per hour, reports ANI.
11.20 am: Odisha Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena tells reporters that around 5.80 lakh people in vulnerable areas of the state have been shifted to safe shelters, reports PTI.
10.09 am: Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are likely to be most severely affected. In West Bengal, West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas districts and Kolkata may experience stormy weather with wind speeds of up to 120 km per hour, reports NDTV.
10.07 am: Water from the sea enters residential areas along New Digha sea beach in East Midnapore district of West Bengal.
10.02 am: Landfall process for Cyclone Yaas started at 8.30 am, says weather department. The process will continue for three to four hours.
7.22 am: Visuals of strong winds gusting in the coastal areas of West Bengal and Odisha:
7.21 am: Two people were electrocuted during a tornado in the West Bengal’s Hooghly district, NDTV reported. The tornado also destroyed 40 houses.
7.20 am: National Disaster Relief Force deploys 52 teams of personnel in Odisha and 45 teams in West Bengal.
7.17 am: The governments of West Bengal and Odisha have evacuated more than 11 lakh people ahead of the landfall of Cyclone Yaas, reports The Indian Express
7.16 am: Very severe cyclonic storm Yaas is centred about 40 kilometres east of Dhamra in Odisha at 7 am, says weather department. The storm is likely to make landfall between Balasore and Dhamra in Odisha at noon. Wind speeds are expected to be 130-140 kmph at the time of landfall.
7.15 am: Flight operations at the Kolkata airport will be suspended from 8.30 am to 7.45 pm on Wednesday as a precautionary measure ahead of landfall of Cyclone Yaas, says Airport Authority of India. The operations in Bhubaneshwar airport were suspended at 11 pm on Monday and will resume at 5 am on Thursday.