After making landfall at a speed of 110 to 120 kmph between West Bengal’s Sagar Islands and Khepupara in Bangladesh on Sunday early in the morning, cyclone Bulbul is now likely to weaken gradually as it moves towards coastal Bangladesh and adjoining South and North 24 Parganas districts of Bengal, says IMD. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
Weather forecast Today, Cyclone Bulbul HIGHLIGHTS: Cyclone Bulbul claimed at least ten lives and affected 2.73 lakh families as it hit the coastal districts of West Bengal on Sunday, official reports said. It then smashed into the low-lying areas of neighbouring Bangladesh, killing at least 8 people and injuring 15, news agency PTI reported. The severe cyclonic storm brought in heavy rain coupled with strong winds, uprooting trees and snapped cables in Kolkata and its adjoining areas, bring normal life to a near-halt. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation after Cyclone Bulbul brought heavy rains in parts of Odisha and West Bengal. He also spoke with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and assured her of all possible assistance from the Centre. In Pics | Cyclone Bulbul wreaks havoc in West Bengal, Bangladesh
আছড়ে পড়ল বুলবুল
After making landfall at a speed of 110 to 120 kmph between West Bengal’s Sagar Islands and Khepupara in Bangladesh on Sunday early in the morning, severe cyclonic storm Bulbul is now likely to weaken gradually as it moves towards coastal Bangladesh and adjoining South and North 24 Parganas districts of Bengal, says IMD. Heavy rains lashed coastal West Bengal throughout Saturday, uprooting trees. Gale wind with gusts up to 135 kmph prevailed off the coastal and adjoining districts of West and East Midnapore, South and North 24 Parganas as the eye of the storm made landfall around midnight. Four deaths have been reported from Bengal due to heavy rain triggered by the very severe cyclonic storm.
Chief Secretaries of West Bengal and Odisha informed that necessary preparations have been made by them and State Disaster Response Force and Fire Service teams have been positioned. (Express photo)
Highlights
In Odisha, due to cyclone Bulbul, 8218 people were shifted to 108 relief camps, around 5,500 houses were damaged and power and communication were disrupted after a large number of trees were uprooted.
In West Bengal, cyclone Bulbul affected nearly 2.94 lakh people, damaged around 60,000 houses and caused extensive damage to crops.
Under the effect of cyclone Bulbul, light to moderate rainfall is likely to occur at many places in South Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram during the next 24 hours.
A senior official Sunday said that cyclone Bulbul which wreaked havoc in the coastal districts of West Bengal and threw normal life out of gear, significantly improved Kolkata's air quality. According to the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) readings, the city's air quality improved to 'good' and 'satisfactory' after the storm from 'poor' two days ago.
Heavy rain and high-speed winds triggered by cyclone Bulbul claimed two lives in Odisha, officials said on Sunday. The cyclone also caused extensive damage to around 40 per cent standing crops and over six lakh hectares of cultivable land spread over five districts, said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena.
Cyclone Bulbul smashed into the low-lying areas of neighbouring Bangladesh, killing at least 8 people and injuring 15 as it made landfall after causing heavy rain and destruction in the coastal districts of West Bengal.
Cyclone Bulbul claimed at least ten lives and affected 2.73 lakh families as it hit the coastal districts West Bengal on Sunday, official reports said.
At least 13 people were killed as cyclone Bulbul lashed coastal West Bengal in India and Bangladesh on Sunday. On Sunday afternoon, Bulbul weakened into a “deep depression” and lay over coastal Bangladesh and is likely to move east-northeastwards during the next 9 hours, IMD said.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar hailed the "directional" efforts of the state government and other central agencies to minimise the impact of cyclone Bulbul. He also lauded the IMD for its timely forecast of the severe cyclonic storm and said, "The directional efforts of the state government, its agencies as also central outfits National Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Management Authority, Coast Guard, Navy and others have minimised the damage due to 'Bulbul'..."
Below are some photos of the destruction caused by cyclone Bulbul in West Bengal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday spoke to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and assured all possible assistance from Centre in relief operations in cyclone-affected areas. Home Minister Amit Shah said that 10 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been sent to West Bengal and six teams to Odisha, and 18 more teams have been kept on standby. Read more here
Cyclone Bulbul brought in heavy rain, accompanied by strong winds, affecting normal life in several parts of the state. At least seven people were killed due to the cyclone and rain-related incidents in different parts of the state, official reports said.
Cyclone Bulbul made landfall between Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on Sunday. Below are some visuals from cyclone-affected areas in Bengal.
Six people were killed and 30 injured after cyclone Bulbul lashed Bangladesh on Sunday, officials said. Five of the six victims were killed by falling trees and around 6,000 homes were partially or fully damaged, authorities said.
GC Das, Alipore Meteorological Dept: Cyclonic storm Bulbul now lies over coastal areas of Bangladesh, away from Bengal. In next 12 hours, this tropical cyclone will become depression&lose intensity. There is only wind warning now. Fishermen are advised to not go out, reported ANI.
Waterlogging in parts of Kolkata following rainfall in the region due to Cyclone Bulbul.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee postpones her North Bengal visit to take an areal survey of Bulbul affected Namkhana and Bakkhali.
Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir received snowfall last night.
Efforts are being made by the disaster management teams to combat Bulbul.
Stormy winds in South Kolkata uproots trees, damages hoardings.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reviewed the situation after Cyclone Bulbul brought heavy rains in parts of Odisha and West Bengal. He also spoke with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and assured her of all possible assistance from the Centre, he tweeted.
Weather is windy in Bengal's south 24 Parganas
In Delhi, the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country's apex body to handle any emergency, on Saturday reviewed the preparedness to deal with the very severe cyclone 'Bulbul' over the Bay of Bengal.
The NCMC meeting was headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba.
"Due to very severe cyclone 'Bulbul', operations at Kolkata airport has been suspended from 6.00 pm on November 9 to 6.00 am of November 10," a home ministry official said in the national capital.
"The Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard are on alert," an MHA official said. (PTI)
Road clearance work being carried out by National Disaster Response Force personnel in South 24 Parganas.
A strong cyclone made landfall early Sunday in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of people have moved to shelters across the low-lying delta nation's vast coastal region. Up to 1.8 million were expected to be evacuated by Saturday evening ahead of Cyclone Bulbul, said Enamur Rahman, Bangladesh's junior disaster management minister. More than 5,000 shelters had been prepared by Saturday morning.
The cyclone was packing winds of up to 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 130 kph (80 mph), but was forecast to weaken after crossing the coast. (AP)
South 24 Parganas: About 200 people have taken shelter at Sagar Pilot Station of Kolkata Port Trust. Villagers belonging to storm-stricken villages were served food by the Commander, pilots, and staff. (ANI)
Bulbul lay centred over Bangladesh and adjoining coastal West Bengal at 6.30 in the morning. (Photo: IMD)
Light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy spells of rainfall is likely to continue over south and north 24 Parganas and Nadiya district during next three years. (IMD)
Air quality at Ghaziabad's Vasundhara at 'very poor' category. AQI recorded at 325.
Severe cyclonic storm Bulbul weakened into a cyclonic storm&lay centered at 0530 hours of today, over Bangladesh and adjoining coastal West Bengal. It is very likely to move East-Northeastwards across Bangladesh and likely to weaken into a deep depression during next six hours. (IMD)
Ferry services have been suspended at Bichali Ghat in Kolkata.
Severe Cyclonic Storm Bulbul lay centred at 2.30 am, over coastal West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh, about 12 km southwest of Sundarban National Park (South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal).
As Cyclone Bulbul made landfall late Sunday night, the people of West Bengal looked for shelter to save their lives, coming out of their homes. For 65-year-old Sudhangshu Mandal, a farmer of Bijaybati village near Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas district, Saturday was a day of déjà vu. Ten years ago, he had lost his mud house and about 100 cottah land in cyclone Aila, which wrecked havoc in South 24 Parganas district in 2009, killing 149 people in the state. Read more
Cyclone Bulbul made landfall at Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas around 8 pm on Saturday accompanied by heavy rainfall and wind speed gusting between 120-140 kmph. There were reports of hundreds of trees getting uprooted and several mud houses collapsing in the coastal areas. There were also reports of power cuts with the snapping of electricity lines. Read more
Flight services between Pune and Kolkata will remain affected till Sunday morning as Kolkata airport has suspended operations due to the effect of Cyclone Bulbul. Several flights between the two cities have been cancelled and passengers are looking for other travel options. On Saturday, officials from Airports Authority of India (AAI) said due to very severe Cyclone Bulbul, operations at Kolkata airport were being suspended from 6 pm on November 9 to 6 am on November 10. Read more
Cyclone Bulbul: "It is very likely to move northeastwards to Bangladesh across South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. It is very likely to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm over coastal Bangladesh and adjoining South and North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal by 10th morning," reports news agency ANI quoting IMD
Cyclone Bulbul made landfall at Sagar Island in West Bengal’s South 24 Pargana district around 8 pm on Saturday, accompanied by heavy rainfall and wind speed recorded between 120 and 140 km per hour. There were reports of one death each in West Bengal and neighbouring Odisha. Read more
Cyclone Bulbul makes landfall in West Bengal, reports news agency ANI.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited a control room at the state secretariat earlier today to monitor the situation.