Cyclone Threat: WB, Orissa coastal areas evacuated

Dasgupta said at least 10 lakh people in West Bengal might have to be evacuated to safer places.

Cyclone Sidr, currently moving north over the Bay of Bengal and packing ferocious winds and torrential rains, is expected to hit land run around midnight with six coastal districts in Orissa and five districts in West Bengal likely to face its fury. Kolkata city is also likely to be affected.

The first area to be lashed will be around the Sunderbans, a vast mangrove forest straddling the India-Bangladesh border. The coastal area is also home to many poor fishing communities, as well as the endangered Royal Bengal tigers.

Though the cyclone skipped Orissa and moved towards the West Bengal-Bangladesh region, the Cyclonic Warning Centre (CWC) in Bhubaneswar warned that the cyclone was set to unleash tidal waves of five to six metres in coastal areas of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.

Pune and Ganjam districts are the other two districts that have been put on high alert.

The four coastal districts in West Bengal that are in the eye of the cyclone are South and North 24 Parganas and East and West Midnapur.

Large-scale damage to power and communication lines was also expected, Orissa CWC Director Sarat Sahu said, adding that the speed of the cyclone may intensify as it races towards the coast.

Sahu also cautioned that extensive damage was likely to kutchha houses and there will be a minor disruption of rail and road traffic. He said there was a potential threat from flying debris.

Fishermen have been alerted not to venture into the sea or rivers. Tourists at the sea resort of Digha in East Midnapur district have been asked to move to safer places.

The West Bengal government has allocated Rs 15 crore to meet all exigencies.

West Bengal Regional Met office Director G C Debnath said that the cyclone was intensifying and moving fast towards the state coast gathering momentum.

The weather office has alerted the state administration to the possibility of severe damages in the coastal areas.

“The state administration had been asked to shift the people of the coastal areas to safer locations,” Debnath said.

Port authorities have been asked to hoist danger signal No: 10, signalling higher danger levels.

The civic authorities have set up a crisis management group, West Bengal Chief Secretary P R Ray said, adding that alert had already been issued.

Debnath said alert warning to Sagar Island had already been issued. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea for fishing and to stay alert.

The Tropical Storm Risk Centre has put the cyclone in Category 4 with windspeeds reaching upto 225-280 km per hour, a US consulate communique said in Kolkata.

“Tidal surge might be experienced at the time of the storm crossing the coast,” said Sahu, adding that a gale with wind speed of 90-120 kmph was also likely to appear very soon.

As the system approacheed the coast, the gale wind speed reaching 120-150 kmph was likely along and off north Orissa coast, while gale wind speed reaching 90-120 kmph along and off south Orissa by Friday, Sahu said and warned that “sea condition will be very high and phenomenal – over 14 metres.”

Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) N K Sunaday said that directions were already given for evacuation of people living in sea side villages in six districts. “Evacuation has already begun in Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Ganjam districts,” he said.

The government machinery had geared up to evacuate people from nearly 500 villages living on the 480 km stretch of Orissa coast, official sources said.

While people living within 10 km from the coast in Balasore district were asked to shift to safety, the distance from coast for Bhadrak district was nine km. People in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts were asked to move at least eight km and seven km from the sea when the system crosses Sagar island.

He said a number of villages within six and five km from sea in Puri and Ganjam districts were also being evacuated at least for Thursday night.

Public announcement system was being used to ask the people to move to safer places like cyclone shelters or nearby educational institutions for taking shelter.

Dasgupta said leave of staff of the state government departments concerned have been cancelled till further notice.

He said there was a stock of one lakh tarpulin in the five districts and speedboats were being kept ready.