Cyclone Remal: Cyclone Remal has hit the coast between Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Meteorological Department has said that this process is expected to continue for four hours. This is the first cyclone to hit the Bay of Bengal in the pre-monsoon season. The Meteorological Office has issued a warning of extremely heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and North Odisha on 26-27 May. Extremely heavy rains are also expected in Assam and Meghalaya. Heavy to very heavy rains are expected in Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura on 27-28 May. When the cyclone reaches the coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh, there is a possibility of flooding in low-lying areas due to storm waves of 1.5 meters high.
The Meteorological Department said that dense clouds are entering the land area. The storm has reached the coastal areas of Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal. It will continue for the next 4 hours. The wind speed is expected to be between 110 to 120 kmph and gusts can reach up to 135 kmph.
Coastal districts are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall, while heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely in and around Kolkata.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting this evening to review the preparations for Cyclone Remal. He said the Centre has extended full support to the state and it should continue to do so. He said more teams of security forces have been kept ready. Sixteen battalions each of the State Disaster Management and NDRF have already been deployed in the coastal areas.
As a precautionary measure, air and rail traffic has been shut down even before the storm hits the coast. Kolkata airport authorities have suspended flight operations for 21 hours from this afternoon. Eastern and South Eastern Railways have cancelled many trains.
A total of 394 flights — both international and domestic — will not operate during the flight suspension period, an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said.
It has been raining intermittently and strong winds are blowing in Kolkata and its surrounding districts since morning. Traffic on the roads has reduced.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim called a meeting with officials in the afternoon to assess preparations for the impending cyclone. He said around 15,000 civic staff have been deployed to deal with post-cyclone scenarios.
The Bengal government has evacuated around 1.10 lakh people from coastal areas, including the Sundarbans and Sagar Islands, to safer shelters.
Authorities in coastal areas, especially Digha, Shankarpur and Tajpur, have issued advisories urging tourists to vacate hotels and avoid venturing into the sea as a precautionary measure.
More than 800,000 people were evacuated to shelters from vulnerable areas in Bangladesh on Sunday.
FIRST PUBLISHED : May 26, 2024, 23:40 IST