Men salvage items from a damaged shop after Cyclone Amphan made its landfall, in South 24 Parganas district in the eastern state of West Bengal. (Reuters)
The Odisha government Saturday said it would send 500 personnel from the state’s disaster rapid action force and fire service to assist in restoration operations in cyclone-ravaged West Bengal. Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Jena said the ODRAF and fire service personnel would soon start proceeding with required equipment to the neighbouring state on Sunday.
In response to West Bengal government’s request seeking support, Indian Army Saturday sent three columns of troops to assist the Kolkata City Civil Administration in the in post-cyclone restoration work. “Based on request from the Govt of West Bengal, Indian Army has provided three columns to assist the Kolkata City Civil Administration in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan,” Army said in a statement.
Apart from the Army, the state government also sought teams from railways and port for restoring essential infrastructure and services in the areas ravaged by Cyclone Amphan. It also urged private entities to provide manpower and equipment for the purpose. In a series of tweets, the department said, “GOWB mobilises maximum strength in unified command mode on 24×7basis for immediate restoration of essential infrastructure and services asap. Army support has been called for; NDRF and SDRF teams deployed; Rlys, Port & private sector too requested to supply teams and equipment.”
Cyclone Amphan LIVE: Over 5,000 trees, hundreds of lamp posts and traffic signals were uprooted. (Twitter/NDRF)
Odisha Fire Services personnel proceed to West Bengal for assisting in road clearance, tree cutting & other restoration related activities: Pradeep Jena, Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha.
The Odisha government on Saturday said it will send 500 personnel from the state's disaster rapid action force and fire service to assist in relief and rescue operations in cyclone-ravaged West Bengal. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena said the ODRAF and fire service personnel will soon start proceeding with necessary equipment to the neighbouring state from Sunday.
NDRF carries out restoration work at Uluberia, Howrah, West Bengal.
The iconic Eden Gardens was spared from the fury of Cyclone Amphan that ravaged the city, leaving only some minor damages to the stadium. The pitch and the outfield areas remained totally unaffected from the Amphan, one of the worst cyclones to hit the city in decades. 'Looking at the disaster that has taken place, it's natural for some damage to have occurred. But, prima facie, we don't think there's any major damage to the Eden. That said we cannot take any chances,' CAB President Avishek Dalmiya said. (PTI)
After protests in several cyclone-affected areas of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday urged people to have patience as the administration was working tirelessly to restore water and power supply. She also denounced the "negative campaigning" against her government, saying "this is not the time to do politics".
The chief minister conducted an aerial survey of the worst affected regions of South 24 Parganas district for the second consecutive day, after accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday. "We are facing four challenges at a time, COVID-19, lockdown, issues related to migrant labourers and now the cyclonic disaster," she said. (PTI)
Protests continued in several areas of Kolkata on Saturday as parts of the metropolis remained without water and power since cyclone Amphan ravaged the city. From Behala in the south to Belgharia in the north, armed with placards, people blocked roads with empty buckets and utensils.Protests were also reported from Sapuipara and Pallishree areas in Jadavpur, Garfa, besides Narkeldanga and Telangabagan.The protesters, many of whom were women, said they are under extreme hardship as there was no electricity and water for the past three days and repeated calls to power utilities CESC and WBSEDCL went unanswered. (PTI)
Ten fresh teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also rushed to the state in order to ramp up the relief and rescue operations, the Ministry of Home Affairs notified. The officials said the additional teams of the federal contingency force were sent following a written request from West Bengal's Principal Secretary Disaster Management and Civil Defence seeking deployment of additional teams in the state. "Ten additional teams have been mobilised and are being rushed at the earliest from NDRF locations outside West Bengal. Teams are likely to reach Kolkata by late night Saturday," news agency quoted an NDRF spokesperson as saying.
In response to West Bengal government’s request seeking support, Indian Army Saturday sent three columns of troops to assist the Kolkata City Civil Administration in the in post-cyclone restoration work. “Based on request from the Govt of West Bengal, Indian Army has provided three columns to assist the Kolkata City Civil Administration in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan,” Army said in a statement.
NDRF continues restoration work in Howrah district of West Bengal.
10 additional NDRFteams deployed in West Bengal for post-cyclone management.
Pronab Biswas, a resident of Kakdwip in Sundarbans, was happy that his only son — a migrant labourer -- had returned from Maharashtra last week and had planned to buy a dinghy to start a fishing business of his own. But the 50-year-old's plans were blown away on Wednesday by Cyclone Amphan as their home and cattle got swept away and they lost all their lifelong savings. Biswas, who has a family of six to feed, now plans to accompany his son back to Maharashtra in search of livelihood once the coronavirus lockdown is over. West Bengal Sundarbans Affairs Minister Manturam Pakhira said the region had suffered losses worth thousands of crores and everything had to be rebuilt from scratch.
Embankments in the Sundarban delta -- a UNESCO world heritage site -- were breached as the surge whipped up by the Amphan inundated several kilometres of the islands. "With the infrastructure badly hit, it will take a heavy toll on the livelihood of the people there," Sugata Hazra, director, school of oceanographic sciences at Jadavpur University, told PTI. "In months to come, all of us will witness huge migration from the Sundarbans region. Whatever was rebuilt after Cyclone Aila, everything has been lost due to Cyclone Amphan," Hazra said. (PTI)
The Bengal government said multiple departments are at work to cut and remove the trees that had fallen during Cyclone Amphan. "Drinking water and drainage infrastructure getting restored fast. PHE asked to supply water pouches in gap pockets. Generators being hired where necessary. More than a hundred teams from multiple departments and bodies working for cutting of fallen trees which is the key to restoration of power in localities. WBSEDCL & CESC asked to deploy maximal manpower, even while lockdown significantly affects the deployment potential of the latter. Police on high alert," Bengal's home department tweeted.
The Home Department of West Bengal Saturday said the government has asked for Army support to restore essential infrastructure of the state that has been in shambles since the Cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc there. In a series of tweets the department said, "GOWB mobilizes maximum strength in unified command mode on 24×7basis for immediate restoration of essential infrastructure and services asap. Army support has been called for;NDRF and SDRF teams deployed; Rlys,Port & private sector too requested to supply teams and equipment."
The extent of destruction Cyclone Amohan left in Bangladesh.
NDMA asks people to stay away from flooded areas
After Tripura CM Biplab Deb extends support, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik thanks him
Indian Youth Congress has come forward to serve and provide relief to states affected by Cyclone Amphan.
We are proud to announce that the Indian Youth Congress is combining efforts with @ProfCong to serve and provide relief to the states affected by #CycloneAmphan.
The fencing that separates the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve from the area habitated by humans was destroyed in at least three places as cyclone Amphan ravaged West Bengal. However, there was no incident of any tiger straying into the localities, a top forest department official said. The control rooms in Gosaba in South 24 Parganas district and Salt Lake have not received any incident of tigers or other wild animals straying into the adjacent villages in the past three days, Chief Wildlife Warden Ravikant Sinha told PTI.
Over 600 in Assam have been affected in the first floods of the season following continuous rainfall and the release of dam water. According to a bulletin issued by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Friday evening, 630 people in two villages of the Kalgachia revenue circle in Barpeta district were affected. “The rain [following Cyclone Amphan] has aided the floods but another reason is the release of water from the Kurichu dam in Bhutan,” said Pankaj Chakrabarty, state project coordinator, ASDMA.
An official from the ASDMA said that this was the ‘first instance’ of floods this season, and not necessarily a ‘wave’. “As a result of the rains, the Beki river water levels have risen and low lying areas near the river have been affected,” said the official, adding that the people have not been required to be shifted to relief camps yet. Read full story here
"We are doing whatever possible to restore electricity. Cyclone Amphan was a disaster. It is not the right time to do politics. We have spoken to Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) for restoration. I would like to request people to have patience," says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he is following the situation in India and Bangladesh after cyclone Amphan struck the two countries and expressed sadness over the loss of lives. Cyclone Amphan, the strongest to hit the region in nearly two decades, made landfall on Wednesday evening. It has killed over 85 people and directly affected around 1.5 crore others and destroyed more than 10 lakh houses in India. In Bangladesh, it has killed at least 22 people and left many displaced in the coastal areas. Guterres on Friday took to Twitter to express sadness over the loss of lives and destruction. ?I've been following developments in Bangladesh and India after #CycloneAmphan made landfall Wednesday. Deeply saddened to hear lives have been lost and millions more have been affected. UN staff are on the ground assessing damage & emergency needs,? the UN chief said in a tweet.
Narendra Singh considers himself a lucky man. After waiting for close to two months in Kolkata, the 35-year-old migrant from Bihar had finally run out of patience. He had decided to start the long walk back home. “I run a pan shack in Bangur Avenue (east Kolkata). I ran out of stock a month ago. I don’t have a pass to go to wholesalers to get more stock. I want to go back home because my family is there, we have some land there. At least we will not go hungry,” says Narendra, who sought refuge at the ground floor of a house in the area. However, on Monday, Narendra decided to change his plans, “I decided to stay back because of the cyclone. It was probably the wisest decision of my life.” Read the full story here
TWO teams from the Pune-based 5th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were airlifted on Thursday by an Air Force aircraft for deployment in West Bengal for evacuation, rescue and relief operations in areas hit by Cyclone Amphan. An officer from the Battalion said the IAF transport aircraft carrying two NDRF teams took off from the Lohegaon Air Force base in Pune around 7.30 pm and is slated to be deployed in Amphan-affected areas after landing at Kolkata.
The death toll due to Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal has risen to 85, as angry Kolkatans resorted to protest and road blockades in various parts of the city over the administration's failure to restore normalcy even after three days. With normal life thrown out of gear by the region's worst weather disasters, the authorities scrambled in various parts of the state to restore normalcy. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Cyclone Amphan hit South 24 Parganas district on Saturday and take stock of the situation.
Cyclone Amphan is now considered even more destructive than Cyclone Aila which slammed southern Bangladesh and eastern India in 2009, the United Nations has said.
“The UN Country Team in India reported that Cyclone Amphan, which caused widespread damage around Calcutta is now considered even more destructive than Cyclone Aila, which slammed the region in May 2009,” the UN said in a news report.
Mamata Banerjee Friday told reporters that the cyclone must be treated as a national disaster. “This is more than a national disaster. I have not seen such devastation in my life. Sixty per cent of people have been affected in West Bengal. More than six crore have been directly affected,” she said.
“It will take some time to restore normalcy… It’s a catastrophe… severe disaster. Our officials and ministers are all working. Police are also working tirelessly. We are fighting three challenges — there is lockdown, then there is Covid-19, and now this disaster. The villages have been entirely devastated,” the chief minister added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced an immediate advanced relief of Rs 1,000 crore for West Bengal and Rs 500 crore for Odisha after he held an aerial survey to asses the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan which claimed 77 lives in West Bengal. Authorities and rescue teams, meanwhile, continued with their restoration work across districts, especially in the capital city Kolkata and in the south, areas that have been worst hit by the cyclonic storm.
Ghosh threatened to organise a sit-in, if he was not allowed to go to the affected areas. "If the state government wants to pursue relief politics, they should get ready for a befitting reply from our workers," he said. The BJP workers accompanying Ghosh had a mild scuffle with the police personnel, and they pushed the men in uniform to pave the way for the vehicle of the party's state president. When contacted, the police declined to comment. Kolkata Mayor and state minister Firhad Hakim wondered why the state BJP was keen on doing politics over the distribution of relief materials. Ghosh had on Friday demanded that the assistance should be credited to the bank accounts of the people, affected by cyclone Amphan, to avoid siphoning of money.
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh was on Saturday stopped by police from visiting the cyclone-ravaged areas of the South 24 Parganas district, triggering a war of words between the saffron party and the ruling TMC. Ghosh was on his way to Canning and Basanti, two of the many areas of the district affected by cyclone Amphan, to distribute relief materials. His car was stopped by the police at Dhalai bridge near Garia area of the district. "I don't know why I have been stopped from visiting the cyclone-affected areas. The TMC leaders are visiting these places and distributing relief materials. The police is not stopping them. The rule only changes for the BJP leaders," Ghosh said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the Railway Ministry not to send Shramik Special trains to the state till May 26 in view of Cyclone Amphan. The letter from West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha to Chairman of Railway board V K Yadav dated May 22, stated that the state has been severely impacted by Super Cyclone Amphan on May 20-21 which caused extensive damage to the infrastructure. "As the district administrations are involved in relief and rehabilitation works, it will not be possible to receive special trains for the next few days. It is therefore requested that no train should be sent to West Bengal till May 26," she said.
Owing to the impact of cyclone Amphan, most technicians could not reach laboratories making their way through thousands of trees and electric poles that lay scattered across the state, leading to the a nearly 50 per cent reduction in the number of samples tested for Covid-19 over the last two days, a senior official said, PTI reported. The official said that while the number of samples tested on Tuesday and Wednesday were 8,712 and 8,722 respectively, the count came down to 4,242 on Thursday and 5,355 on Friday.
Chief Secy of West Bengal writes to Chairman, Railway Board stating, "As the district administration is involved with relief and rehabilitation works, it will not be possible to receive special trains for the next few days. It's requested that no train should be sent to the state till May 26." -- ANI
Meanwhile, several roads were blocked for traffic movement across the city as work to cut the fallen trees is yet to begin. In most of the roads, trees were uprooted due to the impact of cyclone Amphan on Wednesday. Even two days after the disaster, uprooted trees continue to remain on the streets in most of the places, including Alipore, New Aipore, Maidan, Ballygunge, Golf Green, Bhowanipore, Tollygunge, Gariahat, Salt Lake and on major roads in North Kolkata.
Work to remove lamp posts and clear roads is on. Street lights will be restored in phased manner after getting certificates from CESC. In Behala, Tollygunge and Jadavpur areas where CESC runs electricity through overhead wires, CESC said it will take two days to restore power supply. I am constantly in touch with them to ensure electricity is restored as soon as possible,” said Hakim.
At Mandeville Gardens in Ballygunge, residents expressed their displeasure after water did not recede from apartment premises after two days.
State panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee rushed to the area to pacify the residents and assured them of all help.
Road blockades were also reported from Jadavpur and James Long Sarani in Behala area. “We went to seek police help. Some KMC workers came, but left in between their rescue work,” said a protester. Similar protests erupted in Dum Dum area as well as Bally and Belur areas in Howrah district. Chairman of board of administrators at KMC Firhad Hakim said power supply in most of the affected areas will be restored in the next two days.
“How can we live like this? There is no electricity for the last 48 hours. On top of that there is no water supply. We don’t even have water to wash our hands and mouths,” said a resident of Tollygunge Circular Road area. People in her locality could not also charge their mobile phones as there was no electricity, she added.
At Ajaynagar, people blocked the EM Bypass for half an hour in the morning. “As there is no electricity, water supply has been hit. What is CESC doing? Why can’t they restore electricity even two days later?” a man said.
After living without electricity and water supply for over 48 hours since cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc in the state, residents started protesting in several areas of Kolkata. The protest first broke out in Jadavpur area where residents took to the streets demanding restoration of power and water supply. According to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials, water supply could not be restored in some areas as there was no electricity. So, even in places where water supply was available, residents in high-rises could not pump up water in their buildings due to lack of power.
The low-pressure area over north Bangladesh and the neighbourhood with associated cyclonic circulation extending up to 3.1 km above mean sea level has become less marked on Saturday. Also, scattered low and medium clouds with embedded intense to very intense convection lay over extreme southeast Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea and scattered low and medium clouds with embedded intense isolated weak to moderate convection lay over the rest of the Bay of Bengal.
Hello and welcome to our LIVE blog on Cyclone Amphan, which had made landfall in coastal areas of West Bengal at around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, and claimed the lives of at least 77 people. Follow all the latest updates on the movement of cyclone here today