Cyclone Yaas likely to be more severe than Amphan, may affect 20 Bengal districts

KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that the West Bengal government has made all necessary arrangements in dealing with the aftermath of cyclone Yaas, which might affect 20 districts of the state.

Addressing a press conference, Banerjee said the state is targeting to shift at least 10 lakh people to safer places in a bid to avoid any loss of life.

“Cyclone Yaas’s impact is going to be much more than Amphan, according to the information we have received so far. This is going to affect at least 20 districts in West Bengal. The districts of Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur will be severely affected,” she said.

The districts of Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, Birbhum, Nadia, Paschim and Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Medinipur, Murshidabad, Jhargram, Purulia would also be affected by the cyclone, she said.

In Malda, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjeeling and Kalimpong there is a forecast of rain, Banerjee added.

The calamity will continue for 72 hours, she said.

“The state government has banned all forms of tourism in the coastal areas as well as fishing activities in the sea,” the chief minister said.

“District administrations and police have been asked to deal with violations strictly to prevent any loss of life,” she said.

At least 51 disaster management teams have been readied, keeping in view the possible devastations predicted by experts, Banerjee said.

Ferry services at 13 places have been shut, she said, assuring that the state has sufficient stock of relief materials that are kept ready at the block level.