As the storm system Yaas heads towards the north Odisha-West Bengal coast, several thousand people are set to be evacuated from the coastal districts of both States. Officials of the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Kolkata said on Monday that the very severe cyclonic storm will make landfall by Wednesday.
G.K. Das, Deputy Director and head of the RMC, said, “The cyclone will cross on May 26 noon as a very severe cyclonic storm. It is likely to make landfall between the Paradip Coast in Odisha and Sagar Island in West Bengal, close to Balasore in Odisha.”
Mr. Das predicted that at the time of landfall, wind speed in the districts of north Odisha and Purba Medinpur in West Bengal would be about 155 to 165 kmph, gusting at 185 kmph.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the State was in the process of evacuating about 10 lakh people to cyclone shelters. “We have about 4,000 cyclone shelters, where people who are being evacuated will be given shelter to minimise…
