CYCLONE “AMPHAN”TURNS INTO VERY SEVERE STORM,IMD
Bureau,Odishabarta
Bhubaneswar: The cyclonic storm “ AMPHAN” over central parts of South Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm.
It is very likely to move nearly northwards slowly during next 12 hours and then re-curve north-northeastwards and move fast across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal – Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) during the afternoon / evening of May 20 as a ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, informed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), Pradeep Jena.
Squally wind speed reaching 45 to 55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is likely to prevail along and off south Odisha coast from 18th evening, extend to along & off north Odisha coast from 19th morning and along and off West Bengal coast from 19th afternoon.
The wind speed will gradually increase becoming gale wind speed reaching 75 to 85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph from 20th morning along and off north Odisha and West Bengal coasts.
It will gradually increase thereafter becoming 110 to 120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph along & off North Odisha coast and 120 to 140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph along & off West Bengal coast from the afternoon of May 20.
Naveen Patnaik,Chief Minister of Odisha Sunday directed officials to chalk out a plan to relocate people living in vulnerable areas to safer places.
s many as 10 NDRF teams and 15 ODRAF units have been pre-positioned in the coastal districts of the State to meet any eventuality due to the cyclone.
Official sources said 20 teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), 17 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 335 units of Fire and Disaster Management are in readiness to be pressed into service.
Apart of 10 NDRF teams and 15 ODRAF units have been pre-positioned in 6 coastal and 4 nearby districts, further deployment will be planned after getting information from the IMD about the path of the cyclone, said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena.
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