Amphan weakens as Odisha, Bengal brace for cyclone

Odisha and West Bengal are bracing themselves for the impact Cyclone Amphan, which is intensifying into a ‘super’ cyclone, by getting around 26 teams from Odisha and Bengal ready, which will be equipped with boats, tree-cutters, telecom equipment, among other items. Rescue and relief teams from the army, Navy, and the Coast Guard have been put on standby.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, met with the states twice on Tuesday to reassess the preparedness in dealing with the consequences of the cyclone, whose wind speeds reached up to 245 km/hour at maximum intensity on Tuesday morning, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Heavy thunderstorms are also expected in parts of Odisha and West Bengal on Wednesday. The coastal districts of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore in Odisha, and East Medinipur, both North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Kolkata in West Bengal are expected to bear the brunt of the super cyclone.

“The damage is likely to affect standing crops, plantations, and orchards in both states,” said a senior IMD official. “Palm and coconut trees along the coast are also likely to be affected,” he added.

However, American space agency NASA said Amphan is expected to strengthen on Wednesday, but will weaken before reaching Kolkata. “JTWC (Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, situated in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii) said the storm will then gradually weaken prior to landfall near Kolkata in two days,” said Rob Gutro, NASA’s deputy news chief.