Very Severe Cyclone Yaas has made landfall close to the north of Dhamra port and south of Balasore district in Odisha at 9 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Several coastal districts of Bengal and Odisha reported heavy rains with wind speeds ranging between 140 and 155 km. Wind and rain continue in West Bengal's Kolkata and South 24 Parganas.
Under the impact of the cyclone Yaas, heavy rainfalls reported from Paradip and Sagar Island in Odisha. Due to the cyclone, heavy rain alert has been issued in 6 states – Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. Several coastal areas of Odisha and Bengal as well as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been reporting thunderstorms since Tuesday with heavy rainfall.
NDRF teams are deployed in West Bengal and Odisha. The Air Force and Navy have also kept some of their helicopters and boats in reserve for relief work. Six districts of Odisha have been declared high-risk zones due to the storm. These include Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, West Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas districts.
According to officials, an orange alert, i.e. heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda, and Puri today. Das further said, "The rainfall in the district expected to measure between 12-20 cms. We are expecting wind speeds of 150-160 kmph gusting 180kmph over Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore tomorrow as landfall expected by noon. We have issued the highest danger warning for Dhamra and Paradip ports."
Meanwhile, the Balasore district administration and Marine Police Forces have evacuated people in the Chandipur area, ahead of the cyclonic storm. Meanwhile, District of Collector Balasore K Sudarshan Chakravarthy said."We are focusing on the evacuation of people from low-lying areas. 1,200 centers will use as shelters. We have health teams deployed at these centers. Power restoration and road clearance teams deployed."
