As Cyclone Amphan Comes Hurtling, Lakhs Evacuated In Odisha, West Bengal

With Cyclone Amphan barrelling down towards the Bengal coast, lakhs of people were evacuated from West Bengal and Odisha. Cyclone Amphan weakened into an extremely severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday and is expected to make landfall this afternoon.

Cyclone Amphan accompanied by high velocity winds is likely to make landfall somewhere near Sundarbans between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh on Wednesday. The wind speed of the severe cyclonic storm is said to be ranging between 155 to 180 km per hour. In spite of having weakened into an extremely severe cyclonic storm bringing heavy rains to several parts of the two eastern states of Odisha and West Bengal, Amphan has enough force to disrupt life in the eastern states. Amphan is expected cause extensive damage to both states.

Cyclone Amphan could also impact lives, property, crops as also damage to power connections rail links and roads, and hence, both the Odisha and West Bengal state governments evacuated lakhs of people on Tuesday from vulnerable areas to safer locations. Coronavirus has added another dimension to the challenge of keeping people safe while maintaining social distancing.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that cyclone is moving at a wind speed of over 170 km per hour. The IMD put the location of the severe cyclonic storm at 240 km from the likely place in West Bengal closest to the landfall—Digha, in the east Indian state.