Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha: Kolkata airport closed, NDRF teams deployed

Six NDRF teams belonging to two battalions have been deployed in several places including Jhargram, Narayangarh in Kharagpur, Ramnagar in Digha, Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas, Dhamakhali and Hasnabad in North 24 Parganas. Districts of East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia, Birbhum, Bankura and North and South 24 Parganas are on high alert.

According to the Met department, from Puri, the cyclone is moving northeast towards Jhargram in West Midnapore district and will pass through Nadia before going to Bangladesh.

“The cyclonic storm is likely to continue towards northeast and gradually weaken over the Gangetic West Bengal. It will cross the state as a severe cyclonic storm,” said Sanjeev Bandhopadhyay, Deputy DGM, Met Department.

According to officials, no flight took off or landed at Kolkata airport from 3 pm on Friday. The airport will remain shut till 8 am on Saturday. The Railways have also cancelled 233 trains from Howrah station. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, deployed at Digha in coastal Bengal, have evacuated hundreds of people, including children and women.

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Ferry services from Babughat in Kolkata was stopped from 1 pm on Friday and will resume on Saturday, if the weather conditions improved, said sources.

According to Met officials, ‘Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm’ crossed Puri between 8 am and 10 am, after which the eye of storm weakened. Now, a ‘Severe Cyclonic Storm’ will hit Bengal.

The cyclonic storm is likely to hit the state before midnight at a speed of 80-100 km per hour. By Saturday evening, the cyclone will move towards Bangladesh.

“The cyclone is 340 km southwest of Kolkata and 200 km southwest of Digha. It is expected to enter West Bengal at a speed of 90-115 km per hour. On May 4, it will enter Bangladesh, and from May 5 onwards, things will be normal,” said Bandopadhyay.

Heavy to extremely heavy rain is expected at one or two places of the coastal areas of West Bengal from Friday evening to early Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, aerial surveillance is being done by the Indian Coast Guard. As many as 11 Disaster Response Teams in Kolkata and four such teams in Haldia have been formed for augmenting rescue efforts. The progress of the cyclone is being closely monitored.

“Cyclone and weather warnings are continuously being transmitted in local language for merchant ships in areas and fishing boats all along the coast,” read a statement issued by the Indian Coast Guard.