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At least one person died and coastal districts of Purba Midnapore and South 24 Parganas of West Bengal were severely battered by tropical cyclone ‘Yaas’ which pounded the State and the neighbouring Odisha.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to visit the affected areas on Friday.
Landfall near Dhamra
The cyclone made landfall near Dhamra port in Odisha at 9.15 am today. Many coastal towns and villages in West Bengal and Odisha were inundated by sea water. Water logging and flooding were reported in Kolkata, and in areas near the river Hooghly, because of high tide. These low-lying areas continue to be under “alert”. Flooding was also reported in parts of Howrah, Kolkata’s twin city across the Hooghly. Banerjee said rising river water levels inundated large parts of West Bengal’s coastal districts. Sea waves hit “dangerous heights” causing damage to property, homes and breaking embankments.
The seaside tourist towns of Digha, Mandarmani and Tajpur in Purba Midnapore and other areas in South 24 Parganas like Fraserganj, Patharpratima and Gosaba were amongst the worst affected.
The surging waters breached embankments at several places, inundating many villages and small towns. Water levels of several rivers including Bidyadhari, Hooghly and Rupnarayan have risen considerably, the Chief Minister said.
‘Extensive damage’
“One person died, and nearly 15 lakh people have been evacuated. We will do a detailed assessment of the damages. Detailed reports should come in over the next 72 hours. A committee headed by the Chief Secretary will assess the damage, suggest corrective actions and other steps,” Bannerjee told reporters after meeting district magistrates, senior bureaucrats and other departmental heads at the state secretariat.
PTI adds
Coastal districts of Odisha received very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, the meteorological department said on Wednesday.
Chandbali in Bhadrak district recorded rainfall of 288.3 mm over the past 24 hours, followed by Rajkanika in Kendrapara (251 mm), the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said.
Cyclone 'Yaas' wreaked havoc in the beach towns in north Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal, as it hit the coast around 9 am with wind speeds of 130-140 kmph, inundating low- lying areas amid a storm surge, officials said
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