4 dead in Bengal, Odisha as Cyclone Amphan makes landfall
After Cyclone Amphan made landfall at Digha in West Bengal on Wednesday, reports emerged of the deaths of two people in the state. Two others, including a two-month-old, also died in the neighboring Odisha state. The "super cyclonic storm" also wreaked havoc in the coastal districts of the two states, uprooting trees and electric poles, and damaging kutcha houses. Here are more details.
2 women killed in Bengal as cyclone uprooted trees
According to PTI, two women died due to the uprooting of trees in Howrah district and the Minakhan area of North 24 Parganas district. A 57-year-old woman of Satbhaya in Kendrapara and a two-month-old boy in Bhadrak district's Kampada village also died, India Today reported. While a collapsed wall crushed the infant, the woman had stayed at home instead of moving to a shelter.
Cyclone made landfall at 2:30 pm at Digha
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (MeT), Cyclone Amphan had made landfall at 2:30 pm at Digha. By 5:30 pm, it had crossed the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast as a "very severe cyclonic storm with the speed of 155-156 kmph gusting to 185 kmph." As the storm moves north-northeastwards, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told PTI that it will completely enter land by 7 pm.
Cyclone's wall cloud 120 kilometers wide
The cyclone will reach near Kolkata by the evening, Mohapatra said, adding that the city and its adjoining districts will witness strong winds with an intensity of 110-120 kmph. The cyclone is moving at a speed of 25-30 kmph. The wall cloud of the cyclone is around 120 kilometers wide while the eye of the storm is roughly 40 kilometers in diameter.
Amphan brings tidal waves, heavy rain and winds
During the roughly four-hour-long period as the cyclone makes landfall, Amphan brings with it tidal waves as high as five meters, torrential rains, and heavy winds. Since Tuesday, it has unleashed intense rainfall in Odisha's Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Ganjam, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts. Already in Kolkata, the continuous downpour has led to waterlogging in some streets and low-lying areas.
Cyclone will reach Assam, Meghalaya tomorrow
The MeT said the cyclonic storm is "very likely" to continue moving north-northeastwards with wind speeds of 140-150 kmph, gusting to 165 kmph over the next two hours. The storm will reach Assam and Meghalaya on Thursday, bringing heavy-very heavy rainfall. However, it is expected to weaken as it moves through Nadia and Murshidabad and into Bangladesh as a deep depression on Thursday morning.
