Cyclone LIVE: Yaas intensifies into very severe cyclonic storm, says IMD

Cyclone Yaas LIVE updates: Stay tuned with Business Standard on cyclone Yaas landfall, cyclone alert, weather updates and more

Cyclone Yaas LIVE updates: West Bengal and Odisha have evacuated lakhs of people from vulnerable areas to safety as severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' is nearing the coast and is expected to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district early on Wednesday morning. 'Yaas' is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours, the IMD said. The system has been moving north-northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph.

Meanwhile, the South Eastern Railways has announced the cancellation of several passenger special trains till Wednesday.
 

Cyclonic storm Yaas is very likely to make landfall near Balasore in north Odisha with a speed of 155 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, around noon on May 26, the Met department said on Monday.
 

Yaas is expected to be about as intense as Cyclone Tauktae which slammed into the west coast last week but tamer than Cyclone Amphan which hit Bengal exactly one year ago and for about three devastating minutes sustained wind speeds of 240 kmph. At least 80 people lost their lives.

Stay tuned for Cyclone Yaas LIVE updates

2:13 AM

Cyclone Yaas update

12:31 AM

Cyclone Yaas: Eastern states evacuate more than 12 lakh people

Cyclone Yaas intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday evening, India Meteorological Department Director General M Mohapatra said, even as the states of West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand aggressively evacuated over 12 lakh people to storm shelters by late evening.
 

The IMD also issued a red-coded warning alert to the Odisha and West Bengal coasts.
 

"The severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' (pronounced as 'Yass') over northwest and Bay of Bengal intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm," Mohapatra said.
 

`Yaas', which was positioned 160 km south-southeast of Paradip in Odisha and 240 km south-southeast of Digha in West Bengal over north-west and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal on Tuesday evening, is likely to gain a maximum speed of 155 kmph to 165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph during landfall, the Met department said.
 

"It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Islands close to north of Dhamra and south of Balasore, in the morning hours of Wednesday, the 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm," the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD added.
 

Flight operations at the Kolkatas NSCBI airport here will be suspended from 8.30 am to 7.45 pm owing to the weather warning on Wednesday, the Airports Authority of India said.
 

Bhubaneshwars Biju Patnaik International airport too will remain shut from 11 pm Tuesday till 5 am on Thursday. The South Eastern Railways too has cancelled several trains, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her administration has evacuated over nine lakh people from coastal districts to safe shelters.
 

10:42 PM

Patnaik stresses on saving lives as countdown for cyclone Yaas begins

As the countdown for Wednesday's landfall of the very severe cyclonic storm "Yaas" begins,Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday asked officials to take all possible steps to protect human lives.
 

Patnaik conducted a meeting to take stock of the cyclone situation in the state which has already started impacting lives across the coastal districts as heavy rain pounced with blowing of wind at a speed of about 60 kmph.
 

"Every life is precious, thus all possible steps should be taken to protect life," the Odisha chief minister said.
 

While the severe cyclonic storm Yaas is moving at a speed of around 15 kmph and presently lies about 180 km off Paradip coast, Odisha government rushed men, machines and medicines to the districts likely to be affected before Wednesday noon.
 

The Doppler radar at Paradip has meanwhile located the "eye" of the severe cyclonic storm Yaas, sources said.
 

"To be very specific, the cyclone is likely to make landfall near Dhamra port between Basudevpur in Bhadrak district and Bahanaga in Balasore district on Wednesday," Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena informed Patnaik at the review meeting.
 

The SRC said the landfall process will begin at 4 am of Wednesday and continue for four hours till 8 am and all 77 blocks have been kept under high-impact zone category.
 

10:41 PM

Over 3 lakh people evacuated from cyclone Yaas vulnerable areas in Odisha

Over three lakh people have been evacuated from the low-lying and vulnerable areas in Odisha, as the countdown for Wednesday's landfall of the very severe cyclonic storm "Yaas" began.
 

The process of moving people to safer places will be completed by tonight, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena said.
 

The state has 860 permanent shelters and 6,200 temporary homes identified where 7 to 8 lakh can be safely accommodated observing COVID protocol, he said.
 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a meeting to take stock of the cyclone situation in the state which has already started impacting lives across the coastal districts as heavy rain pounced with blowing of wind at a speed of about 60 kmph.
 

"Every life is precious, thus all possible steps should be taken to protect life," Patnaik said.
 

While the severe cyclonic storm Yaas is moving at a speed of around 15 kmph and presently lies about 180 km off Paradip coast, Odisha government rushed men, machines and medicines to the districts likely to be affected before Wednesday noon.
 

The Doppler radar at Paradip has meanwhile located the "eye" of the severe cyclonic storm Yaas, sources said.
 

10:41 PM

Cyclone 'Yaas': Bengal forest deptt forms 16 rescue teams in three districts

The West Bengal Forest Department has formed 16 teams in three districts for rescue operations in the wake of the impending cyclone 'Yaas', a top official said Tuesday.
 

The teams have been set up in Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, he said.
 

"In Kolkata and South/North 24 Parganas districts, 16 teams will be at work in sync with local civic bodies, including the KMC, for exigencies including cutting and lopping of felled trees and rescue operations of humans and animals," the senior forest official told PTI.
 

The department, to prevent the tiger population in the Sunderbans from straying into adjacent villages, is working on war footing to repair holes in nylon nets that demarcate the Sunderban Tiger Reserve with neighbouring areas, he said.
 

Trapping and transportation cages have been kept ready for immediate disposal, along with tranquilisers and medicines, the official said.
 

"We are also stocking bamboo for reinforcing at least 5 km of fencing," he said.
 

As per a recent survey by the department, the number of Royal Bengal Tigers in the Sunderbans has risen to 96.
 

Meanwhile, the Alipore Zoological Gardens has set up a 35-member squad consisting of employees and medical staff to keep a tab on the condition of animals in view of the cyclone, a zoo official said.
 

Lions, tigers, leopards and elephants will be kept in their respective night shelters from Tuesday late evening, as the cyclone is expected to make landfall on Wednesday morning, Alipore Zoo Director Ashis Samanta told PTI.
 

9:58 PM

Cyclone Yaas: M&M sets up relief task force

Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday said it is creating a relief task force as part of its preparedness for cyclone Yaas as it approaches the east coast.
 

The task force is equipped to extend quick support to Mahindra vehicle owners in affected areas.
 

The company also urged its customer to take precautions against the approaching storm and heavy rainfall by removing all valuable belongings from the vehicle and parking it in a high-lying covered area not prone to waterlogging.
 

Users should refrain from starting the vehicle if it is submerged in water to avoid damage to the engine, M&M Ltd said in a statement.
 

Cyclone Yaas is likely to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Odisha's Bhadrak district early on Wednesday morning and it can have a speed of 155 Kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, the IMD has said on Monday.
 

M&M Ltd is creating a “Relief Task Force” in preparation against Cyclone Yaas that is predicted to hit the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal, the company said.
 

The task force has also collaborated with Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd (MIBL) to assist with a seamless insurance approval and claim settlement process once service centres open post lockdown, it said.
 

Dedicated emergency road service teams are on high alert to support affected vehicles, it said, adding Mahindra will provide free towing service within a radius of 50km for vehicles, which are not currently covered under a roadside assistance programme.
 

9:48 PM

Yaas intensifies into very severe cyclonic storm: IMD

Cyclone Yaas intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday evening, India Meteorological Department Director General M Mohapatra said.
 

The IMD has also issued a red-coded warning alert to the Odisha and West Bengal coasts.
 

"The severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' (pronounced as 'Yass') over northwest and Bay of Bengal intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm," Mohapatra said.
 

It is very likely to move north-northwestwards, intensify further and reach near north Odisha coast close to Dhamra port by the early morning of Wednesday.
 

"It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Islands close to north of Dhamra and south of Balasore, during noon of Wednesday, the 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm," the Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said.
 

The cyclone is being tracked by Doppler Weather Radar at Paradip, it added.
 

9:47 PM

Nitish chairs meeting on cyclone Yaas;tells officials to remain alert

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday held a review meeting on impending cyclone Yass and instructed officials to remain alert to deal with the calamity.
 

Chairing a virtual meeting with officials of disaster management and other departments and also district magistrates, the chief minister told them to make all arrangements in advance to meet the challenges of the very severe cyclonic storm likely to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Odisha's Bhadrak district early Wednesday morning.
 

Kumar said as per the information Bihar will also be effected by the cyclone and so the officials should remain prepared in advance, an official statement said here.
 

He directed officials to make alternative arrangements in hospitals, government as well as private, in the event of power getting snapped due to cyclonic impact and asked them to make a dry run of the optional preparation.
 

9:20 PM

Cyclone Yaas update

9:04 PM

Odisha people pin hopes on mangrove forest to get saved from Cyclone Yaas

After it was known that Cyclone Yaas will hit Bhitarkania National Park in Kendrapara district close to Dhamra port in Odisha, local people exude optimism that the rich mangrove forest cover along the wetland sites of the park would again turn into a saviour for them.

 

Though the cyclonic storm is likely to make landfall on Wednesday, rain has started in the national park area since Tuesday morning and people are experiencing gusty wind.

 

"Everybody here is confined indoors either in homes or cyclone shelters. The forest cover around had protected us with minimal damage in past cyclones. We pray forest withstands the onslaught this time also," said Ganesh Chandra Gudia who lives in Talchua village beside the park.

8:53 PM

Cyclone Yaas LIVE: 11.5 lakh people evacuated, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

8:47 PM

Cyclone Yaas: NDRF deputes highest-ever number of teams for Odisha, Bengal; over 10 lakh evacuated

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has earmarked its highest-ever number of teams for deployment in Odisha and West Bengal to undertake relief and rescue operations during cyclone Yaas, its chief S N Pradhan said on Tuesday.

 

He added that according to reports received from the state governments, more than 8 lakh people have been evacuated to safety in West Bengal, the same figures for Odisha were over 2 lakh locals.

 

The federal contingency force has committed a total of 113 teams for deployment in five states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which are expected to be affected by the cyclone brewing in the Bay of Bengal. Out of these, 104 teams are deployed on ground while nine have been kept on "high alert" in these states, an NDRF spokesperson said. Among the teams deployed, the highest number of 52 teams are designated for Odisha followed by 45 teams for West Bengal.

8:37 PM

Indian Army assists for Cyclone-induced effects in West Bengal

The Indian Army's Eastern Command is spearheading Army's  response for rescue and relief operations in West Bengal in preparations for Cyclone Yaas, which is scheduled to make landfall  on 26 May 21. The deployment of Army columns is based on requisition and is in close coordination with the Government of West Bengal.

 

A total of seventeen integrated Cyclone Relief Columns, comprising specialised personnel with associated equipment and inflatable boats, have been deployed.  Columns have been prepositioned at Purulia, Jhargram, Birbhum, Bardhaman, West Midnapur, Howrah, Hoogly, Nadia, 24 Parganas North & South. 

 

Nine Cyclone Relief columns have also been kept on standby at Kolkata, for redeployment  as necessary in West Bengal, at short notice.

 

These Teams are equipped to undertake rescue and relief operations to include casualty evacuation of stranded/ marooned persons, medical treatment, road clearing/ tree cutting and distribution of relief material, as would be required by the local district administration.

8:34 PM

Covid vaccination drive rescheduled to May 29 in Mumbai: BMC

8:23 PM

Tata Power readies 15,000 men for cyclone restoration work in Odisha

Ahead of the severe cyclonic storm Yaas hitting Odisha coast on Wednesday morning, the Tata Power has already kept about 15,000 workforce ready to start electricity restoration activities in the state as soon as the calamity recedes, an official said.

 

TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited (TPNODL) and TP Western Odisha Distribution Ltd (TPWODL) have a detailed Business Continuity and Disaster Management Plan (BCDMP) in place for dealing with the cyclone, the official said.

 

The company in consultation with the state government, has already deployed 13,500 people including engineers and kept another 1,500 workforce in reserve for undertaking the restoration works immediately after the cyclone.