Amit Shah to hold Cyclone Yaas review meeting with CMs of states to be affected

Some nearby regions are also likely to receive heavy rainfall and wind speeds could reach 110 miles per hour, the weather office said.

Union home minister Amit Shah will hold a meeting with the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and lieutenant governor of Andaman & Nicobar on Monday to review preparedness ahead of the cyclone Yaas, which is brewing in the Bay of Bengal. Besides this, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda will also interact with Members of Parliament (MPs) and party workers in states to be affected by Cyclone Yaas, he announced earlier in the day.

Days after Cyclone Tauktae battered the western coast, Yaas is expected to hit the east coast of the country, between Odisha and West Bengal. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), Yaas is expected to make landfall as very severe cyclonic storm between Paradip in Odisha and Sagar islands in West Bengal on Wednesday evening. The storm packs in winds with speeds ranging between 155 kmph and 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph.

Some nearby regions are also likely to receive heavy rainfall and wind speeds could reach 110 miles per hour, the weather office said.Earlier, port authorities in Odisha and West Bengal restricted shipping activities and asked vessels to vacate anchorages, news agency Reuters reported citing port authorities.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a review meeting with state and central agencies to check preparedness ahead of the cyclone's landfall. During the meeting, PM Modi called for a timely evacuation of those involved in offshore activities and asked the officials to work in coordination for the rescue and relief work.

PM Modi also stressed on the need to ensure that the time duration of outages of the power supply and communication network is minimum and these links are restored swiftly, PTI reported citing PMO statement.

The armed forces are also on high alert with nearly 1,000 rescue personnel being deployed in Odisha and West Bengal for rescue work. The navy and the air force have also kept dozens of aircraft on stand-by.

Cyclone Yaas is set to hit days after Tauktae wreaked havoc along India's west coast, leaving a trail of destruction behind.

By hindustantimes.com | Written by Shivani Kumar | Edited by Amit Chaturvedi

PUBLISHED ON MAY 24, 2021 10:52 AM IST