Cyclone Yaas is predicted to cause maximum damage in Odisha’s Chandbali: IMD
In its latest bulletin issued on Tuesday IMD said that the cyclone will intensify.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday that severe cyclonic storm Yaas may make landfall between Dhamra and Chandbali areas of Odisha's Bhadrak district early on Wednesday. Yaas is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday evening and Chandbali is likely to witness the maximum damage, IMD’s director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.
“It is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm on May 26 and cross the coast somewhere near Chandbali in Bhadrak district with wind speed of 155-165 km per hour accompanied by gusts of 185 km per hour. The impact of Cyclone Yaas will be high six hours before and after the landfall. Big trees and electric poles may get uprooted. Chandbali is likely to witness maximum damage due to the cyclone,” Mohapatra added.
"Rain has already started and will continue. Wind speeds in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts will reach around 80kmph by midnight," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
IMD said in its latest bulletin issued at 9.10 am on Tuesday that “Yaas is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. The system has been moving north-northwestwards at a speed of 10kmph during the past six hours”. “It lays centred around 320 km south-southeast of Paradip (Odisha), 430 km south-southeast of Balasore (Odisha) and 420 km south- southeast of Digha (West Bengal) at 5.30am”, it said.
Wind speeds may increase to 100-120 kmph gusting to 145 kmph in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district and West Bengal's Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts.
Odisha’s special relief commissioner Pradip Jena said “district collectors have been asked to finish evacuation from the four coastal districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur by Tuesday afternoon”. He added that arrangements have been made to accommodate up to 750,000 evacuaees in 7,000 shelters prepared for the purposed. “Zero casualty is the motto. We are leaving no stone unturned for saving lives,” Jena said.
IMD also warned of bending or uprooting of electric poles and disruption of railway services due to snapping of power lines and signalling systems, prompting the South Eastern Railway to cancel several passenger special trains till Wednesday.
