PM reviews cyclone Amphan situation

NEW DELHI,

Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into an super cyclonic storm

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to review the arising Cyclone Amphan situation in different parts of the country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also present at the meeting. Cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm on Monday and is expected to further intensify into a super cyclonic storm, said Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra, India Meteorological Department (IMD) DirectorGeneral. The IMD has issued a rainfall warning for the next four days in the light of very severe cyclonic storm Amphan, for isolated places over the districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara. Rainfall is likely to commence from the evening of May 18.

While the Odisha Government is preparing for a possible evacuation of 11 lakh people residing in vulnerable areas, the West Bengal Government has issued an alert in coastal districts and sent relief teams. The MeT department, which has issued an ‘orange’ warning for West Bengal, said ‘Amphan’ is likely to cross the West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha and Hatiya Islands in the afternoon or evening of May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 155 to 165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph before losing some steam ahead of landfall.

CYCLONE AMPHAN MAY CAUSE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ON BENGAL COAST DURING LANDFALL: GOVT: Cyclone Amphan has developed into a super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal on Monday and has the potential to cause extensive damage in the coastal districts of West Bengal when it makes landfall on Wednesday, the Government said.