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Cyclone Yaas, which intensified into severe cyclonic storm on Monday night, is expected to make landfall between Paradip and Sagar islands (in West Bengal) close to Balasore in Odisha early on Wednesday morning and could pack sustained winds of up to 165 kilometers per hour, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD has predicted a tidal surge of 2-4.5 metres during the landfall of Yaas, according to officials. The massive storm comes as India is battling a second wave of Covid-19, complicating efforts to deal with both.
The IMD has said that Yaas is likely to intensify into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ before it hits the coast. After crossing the coast on the afternoon of May 26, it will intensify further. The IMD had earlier said that Yaas would make landfall around Wednesday evening, but on Monday, it advanced the time.
Disaster relief teams have already been deployed in Odisha, which will face the brunt, and the coastal areas are being evacuated. The air force and navy said they have kept some of helicopters and vessels ready to carry out relief work.
In Odisha, the administration evacuated locals from their homes to shelter homes in Jagatsinghpur district. Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagastinghpur districts have been identified as high-risk zones along with Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar.
Scientists say cyclones in India are becoming more frequent and changing climate patterns have caused them to become more intense. Last May, nearly 100 people died in Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit eastern India in more than a decade. It flattened villages, destroyed farms and left millions without power in eastern India and Bangladesh.
