Fishermen have been advised to stay off coast this week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the response preparedness against cyclone Amphan developing in the Bay of Bengal, and assured all possible Central assistance to the states which are likely to be hit.
Soon after the meeting, the prime minister wrote on Twitter that he prays for everyone's safety "and assure all possible support from the central government."
At the review meet, PM Modi took stock of the situation and reviewed the measures as well as the evacuation plan presented by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a statement from the Prime Minister''s Office said.
"During the presentation of the response plan, DG NDRF (SN Pradhan) informed that 25 NDRF teams have been deployed on the ground while 12 others are ready in reserve. Twenty-four other NDRF teams are also on standby in different parts of the country," the statement said.
The prime minister said he "reviewed the preparedness regarding the situation due to cyclone "Amphan". The response measures as well as evacuation plans were discussed."
Home Minister Amit Shah, Principal Advisor to the PM P K Sinha and Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba also attended the meeting.
Cyclone Amphan, which is expected to make a landfall in Bengal on Wednesday, has turned in to a "super cyclone", the weather office said this afternoon. It had intensified into an extremely severe cylonic storm overnight. "The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm 'AMPHAN' (pronounced as UM-PUN) intensified into Super Cyclonic Storm at 1130 IST of today, the 18th May, 2020." The India Meteorological Department or IMD tweeted this afternoon.
It is likely to move north-northeastwards and fast across the northwest Bay of Bengal, and cross the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts between Digha and the Hatia island as a very severe cyclonic storm, the department said.
This has raised the likelihood of heavy rains and high-velocity winds in coastal Odisha and the state government has initiated the process of evacuating people from the vulnerable areas. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till May 21, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said.
Several southern states were also hit by heavy rain due to the storm. A "very heavy rain warning" has been issued for Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Meghalaya till Thursday (May 21).
Here are the highlights on Cyclone AMPHAN:
Cyclone Amphan: 32 National Disaster Response Teams Deployed in Odisha, Bengal, 21 On Standby
In view of the impending cyclone Amphan, 32 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Odisha and West Bengal, and 21 teams have been kept on standby, Director General of NDRF SN Pradhan said on Monday, reported ANI.
"In West Bengal, 19 NDRF teams have been deployed and four teams have been kept on standby. In Odisha, 13 NDRF teams have been deployed and 17 teams have been kept on standby," said Mr Pradhan during a joint video press conference with Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General (DG) Mritunjay Mohapatra.
Cyclone Amphan: Odisha Will Likely Have To Evacuate Nearly 60,000 People, Says Official
Odisha will have to evacuate around 50,000 to 60,000 people amid the impending cyclone "Amphan", Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy said on Monday.
"We will have to evacuate around 50,000-60,000 people. 1,000 personnel of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force have been deployed," Mr Tripathy told ANI.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has reviewed the current situation and coordination between various departments involved in the preparedness against the upcoming cyclone, he said.
Cyclone Amphan Has Potential To Wreak Large Scale Damage: Top Weather Official Cyclone Amphan is a very intense storm which can wreak large-scale damage, India Meteorological Department Director General M Mohapatra said on Monday.
Amphan has intensified into a super cyclonic storm and is expected to make a landfall on May 20 between the Digha islands in West Bengal and Hatia islands of Bangladesh, Mohapatra said at a press briefing.
It is likely to de-intensify to an extremely severe cyclonic storm when it makes a landfall.
He added that the coastal districts of West Bengal will receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on May 19 and 20. These include East Midnapur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata in West Bengal.
The storm is also likely to impact the coastal districts of north Odisha, including Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore, news agency PTI reported.
Cyclone Amphan: Railways Decides To Suspend Trains On Bhubaneswar-Kharagpur RouteThe East Coast Railway on Monday decided to suspend running of all special trains on the Bhubaneswar-Kharagpur route in view of the approaching cyclone "Amphan".
The railway line will be out of bounds for trains till further orders, the ECoR said.
In view of the cyclone forecast, the railway zone has decided to divert the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi-Bhubaneswar AC Special Train via Angul-Jharsuguda-Rourkela-Tata route bypassing the Bhubaneswar-Hijli (Kharagpur) route for four days.
The cyclone "Amphan" intensified into a super cyclonic storm on Monday and is likely to move across the northeast Bay of Bengal and cross the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh between Digha and the Hatia island on May 20, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Shramik special trains have been suspended and will not be allowed to run on the Bhadrak-Kharagpur route, the ECoR said. Parcel and freight trains may be diverted via the Sambalpur-Jharsuguda route, it added.
All passenger trains were already suspended in view of the COVID-19 lockdown and only some Shramik Special Trains, one AC Special Train, freight and Parcel Express were running as per guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs, an ECoR statement said, news agency PTI reported.
We will have to evacuate around 50,000-60,000 people. 1,000 personnel of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force have been deployed. Chief Minister has reviewed the situation and coordination between various departments: Odisha Chief Secretary told news agency ANI
Coastal West Bengal districts expected to receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on May 19 and 20, news agency PTI reported quoting India Meterological Department (IMD) Director General M Mohapatra
All Precautionary Measures In Place, Bengal Government Has Initiated Evacuation: Mamata Banerjee On Cyclone AmphanWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said all precautionary steps, including evacuation of people from coastal areas, have been taken to deal with any eventuality arising out of cyclone Amphan, which is fast approaching the the state.
Teams of disaster management department, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) have been sent to the vulnerable areas, she said.
"We will be monitoring the situation for cyclone Amphan 24X7. Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and the secretary of disaster management department will be keeping a close watch on the situation," Ms Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat, news agency PTI reported.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall along with strong winds expected in districts along the coast tomorrow as supercyclone Amphan intensifies. All warnings and suggestive measures have been issued: HR Biswas, Director of Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar
"Amphan" Is Serious, Landfall On May 20 Could Be Like "Fani": NDRF DG"Amphan", categorised as a super cyclone, is expected to make landfall on May 20 and it is being taken seriously as this is only the second time that such a severe cyclone will hit India after 1999, NDRF chief SN Pradhan said on Monday.
Pradhan said "Amphan" will be an extremely severe cyclonic storm, a notch below the ''super cyclone'' category, when it makes landfall.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) chief said the coming cyclone is a "serious" one as it is only the second time after 1999 in Odisha that a storm hitting the country's coast has been categorised as a "super cyclone".
The 1999 super cyclone was very deadly and it is expected that Amphan upon landfall will be like the "Fani" cyclone that hit the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts in May 2019.
This is a cause of concern and the central government is also very serious about it, he said in a video message.
"We request the affected states of Odisha and West Bengal to undertake the required measures. These states are already doing it," Mr Pradhan said.
The NDRF has already deployed a total of 37 teams in the two states apart from others that have been kept on standby, news agency PTI reported.
India Meteorological Department warned of storm surge of 4-6 meter height above astronomical tide, will inundate low lying coastal areas of West Bengal during landfall, news agency PTI reported quoting government
Director Generals of India Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will hold a press conference at 8.30 pm today. This will be regarding Super Cyclone Amphan.
All ships in anchorage area sent to safer waters. All operations inside the port to seize by today evening. In the township area, we've activated cyclone shelters. Availability of drinking water, cooked food, dry ration and masks being made: Chairman, Paradip Port Trust, Odisha
Amphan now a "super cyclone" and it is a serious issue, the only other cyclone in Odisha in 1999 was very deadly, news agency PTI reported quoting NDRF Director General SN Pradhan
Cyclone "Amphan" will cause heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in coastal districts of West Bengal, news agency PTI reported quoting government
Cyclone "Amphan" to make landfall on West Bengal coast on May 20 evening as extremely severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds up to 195 kmph, news agency PTI reported quoting government
Digha Residents Live In Fear Of Impending Cyclone AmphanIn view of the impending cyclone Amphan, locals of Digha coastal area are living in fear unsure of what holds for them in the coming days.
A local, Shivaprasad Koirala, told ANI, "Though the administration is on their toes preparing for the coming cyclone and even the teams of National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) have reached here, we are scared."
"During the recent rainfall, the crops got destroyed and now with the cyclone, the thatched houses will get destroyed," he added,
Meanwhile, the norms imposed due to coronavirus lockdown have helped the administration keep control over the tourist movement in Digha.
"Digha is a tourist place but due to the lockdown, the hotels here are closed with only a handful of the workers living in the hotels. With the cyclone alert being given by the administration now only 25 per cent workers are present in the hotels," said Dipradas Chakroborty, Secretary of Digha Shankarpur hotel association.
According to a recent update by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Bhubaneswar, Amphan is very likely to intensify into a super cyclonic storm in the next six hours.
NDRF Director General SN Pradhan has said that 37 NDRF teams have been deployed in seven districts of Odisha and six districts of West Bengal in view of cyclone Amphan, news agency ANI reported.
PM Modi Reviews Preparations Against Cyclone Amphan
During the presentation of the response plan, Director General National Disaster Response Force informed that 25 NDRF teams have been deployed on the ground while 12 others are ready in reserve. 24 other NDRF teams are also on standby in different parts of the country.
PM Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting today to review the response measures against cyclone "Amphan" developing in the Bay of Bengal. PM took full stock of the situation and reviewed the response preparedness as well as the evacuation plan presented by the NDRF, news agency ANI reported quoting PM's office
Amphan Turns Super Cyclone, Odisha Initiates EvacuationCyclone "Amphan" intensified into a super cyclonic storm on Monday and is likely to move across the northeast Bay of Bengal, and cross the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts between Digha and the Hatia island on May 20, the IMD said.
"Amphan" (pronounced UM-PN) that had turned into an extremely severe cyclonic storm gathered more strength over the Bay of Bengal while moving slowly towards the coast. It has now intensified further into a super cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
It is likely to move north-northeastwards and fast across the northwest Bay of Bengal, and cross the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts between Digha and the Hatia island as a very severe cyclonic storm, the department said.
This has raised the likelihood of heavy rains and high-velocity winds in coastal Odisha and the state government has initiated the process of evacuating people from the vulnerable areas. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till May 21, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena said, news agency PTI reported.
"AMPHAN" very likely to intensify into a super cyclonic storm in next 6 hours. We've issued heavy rainfall warnings for Gajapati, Puri, Ganjam Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara. Tomorrow rainfall activity to increase in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajapur, Mayurbhanj, Khurja, Cuttack: Director, IMD Bhubaneswar
37 Teams Deployed In Odisha, West Bengal In View Of Cyclone Amphan: NDRF Director GeneralNational Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General SN Pradhan on Monday said that 37 NDRF teams have been deployed in seven districts of Odisha and six districts of West Bengal in view of cyclone Amphan.
"In seven district of Odisha and six districts of West Bengal, a total of 37 NDRF teams have been deployed, of which 20 teams will be actively deployed by the end of this day and 17 teams are on standby," Mr Pradhan said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier said that cyclone Amphan in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into an extremely severe cyclonic storm at 2:30 am on Monday and it is expected to further intensify into a super cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours.
The IMD has also issued heavy rainfall warning for Odisha, West Bengal, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya till May 21 in light of the extremely severe cyclonic storm, news agency ANI reported.
Cyclone Amphan: NDMA's Word Of Caution For Fishermen
Sand Artist Sudarshan Pattnaik's Message On Cyclone Amphan
Several trains have been cancelled in Bengal due to the cyclone.
The NDRF has enhanced its strength to a total of 37 teams, with the addition of 20 more, to combat the "dual challenge" of cyclone ''Amphan'' amid the coronavirus pandemic, the chief of the federal contingency force said on Monday, news agency PTI reported.
"The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm 'AMPHAN' (pronounced as UM-PUN) intensified into Super Cyclonic Storm at 1130 IST of today, the 18th May, 2020.," the IMD tweeted.
Cyclone Amphan: PM Modi To Hold Meet This Evening, Tweets Amit Shah
Cyclone AMPHAN: What To Do Before A Cyclone (VIDEO)
Cyclone AMPHAN is expected to turn into a "super cyclone", IMD has said.
Cyclone AMPHAN Updates: Bengal BJP Hits Out At State Government Ahead Of Expected Landfall
The BJP unit of Bengal has hit out at the Mamata Banerjee government ahead of CYCLONE AMPHAN's expected landfall on Wednesday. "Even as Cyclone Amphan is heading towards Bengal, migrant workers who have returned from other states are being made to spend quarantine period in open tents in West Bengal! Only a merciless state government can subject its own residents to such peril! (sic)," the party tweeted.
Cyclone AMPHAN Updates: Stay Prepared, Stay Safe, Tweets Odisha Official
Odisha has planned to evacuated about 11 lakh people, if needed.
Cyclone AMPHAN Live Updates: Heavy Rain In Mangalore Heavy rain has been reported in Mangalore due to Cyclone AMPHAN
