Amphan Cyclone Updates: Amit Shah assures Mamata government of support as cyclone draws closer

Mamata Government promised support from Centre with regard to cyclonic damage if any

Tuesday, 19th May 2020

One of the most terrific cyclonic storms, ‘Amphan’ has, now gathered much strength to become a pretty severe super cyclone and is speedily spiraling towards the Indian shores, urging the governments of both the eastern states of West Bengal as well as Odisha to begin evacuation operations by moving people from the vulnerable belts.

Amphan is the 2nd super cyclonic storm hovering over the Bay of Bengal after the one that took place in the year 1999 killing about 10, 000 people in Odisha.

This fierce super cyclone is the second of its kinds hovering over the Bay of Bengal in the span of the last two decades. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already deployed as many as 37 disaster fighting teams in the coastal belts of the 2 states. As per forecast Amphan is likely to hit the coast of West Bengal most fiercely on the 20th of May.

Latest Amphan Cyclone Updates as per timing:

11.11 am: Amit Shah; Union Home Minister assures West Bengal government of all support for cyclonic storm management. He said: ‘Centre with you’

10.30 am: Rajiv Gauba, the Cabinet Secretary will hold a meeting at 12 noon discussing the matter with the National Crisis Monitoring Committee. Apart from readiness on the part of the NDRF, the defense forces as well as the telecommunications and power departments have received orders from the concerned authority to be prepared to handle all cyclone-related emergencies.

10.18 am: Tripura government too has directed the districts to stay prepared.

9.57 am: IMD reported on the morning of Tuesday that Amphan may possibly weaken into a significantly powerful cyclonic storm in the course of the forthcoming six hours.

The weather department stated: "It is very likely to move north-northeastwards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbans during the afternoon/evening of May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 180 kmph,"

9.35 am: People residing in the coastal belts of Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur were moved to a safe shelter by Monday night.

9.30 am: As per the results recorded with IMD around 5.30 am on this Tuesday, Amphan cyclone was positioned over the west-central part of the Bay of Bengal at nearly 520 km south of Odisha’s Paradip, Odisha

7.55 am: IMD reported that the cyclone Amphan was moving at the speed of 14 km/ph

In its Tuesday bulletin, IMD said that the cyclonic storm Amphan laid out over the West-central as well as East-central parts of Bay of Bengal traveled somewhat northward and northeastwards at 14 km/ph speed within the last six hours.

At 2.30 am on the 19th of May, Amphan cyclone was hovering over the West-central part of Bay of Bengal nearly 570 km south of Odisha’s Paradip, 720 km southward to southwest ward of West Bengal’s coastal destination, Digha and about 840 km southward-southwest ward of Khepupara in Bangladesh

7.50 am: Violent wind speed reaching up to 55 to 65 km/ph and then to 75 km/ph started wreaking havoc along as well as off the northern Odisha coastal belt from May 19 morning and along as well as off the West Bengal coastal belt from the Tuesday afternoon as per the reports of IMD.

7.45 am: Orange alert message urging for readiness to face damages caused by the severe storm has been conveyed for the coastal belts of both Odisha and West Bengal. IMD has cautioned of massive damage in the districts of Howrah, Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, East Midnapore and North & South 24 parganas.

Source: India Today