Cyclone Yaas may make landfall near Dhamra

TNI Bureau:  Very severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Yaas’ is likely to make landfall near Dhamra in Bhadrak district, informed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General (DG), Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Tuesday.

Cyclone ‘Yaas’ has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and it will intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during next 12 hours.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the cyclonic storm would continue to move north-north-westwards, intensify further and reach Northwest Bay of Bengal near north Odisha and West Bengal coasts very close to Chandbali-Dhamra port by the early morning of Wednesday, the 26th May. It is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar Island around Balasore, during noon of Wednesday, the 26th May as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.

Cyclone ‘Yaas’ lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of today, about 320km SSE of Paradip, 430km SSE of Balasore, likely to move north-northwestwards, to cross north Odisha coast during noon of 26th May as a VSCS.

The NDRF has committed 109 teams in six states, including Odisha and West Bengal. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from coastal areas of both the states to safer places.

Red Alert – extremely heavy rainfall warning has been issued for Odisha’s Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore for today and tomorrow.

Orange Alert – heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda and Puri today (May 25).

IMD predicted light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy to very heavy rainfall in Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Khurda, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore districts and heavy over Ganjam, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj districts on 25th, heavy to very heavy rains at a few places with extremely heavy falls at isolated places in Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal, Keonjhargarh and heavy falls at isolated places in Puri, Khurda, Angul, Deogarh, Sundergarh on 26th May and heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy falls at isolated places in north interior Odisha on 27th May.

In view of the expected landfall of cyclone Yaas at Balasore Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has directed Minister of State for Home Sri Dibyashankar Mishra to reach Balasore today and camp there to monitor the situation.