Cyclone Amphan Kills At Least 72 In WB, Leaves A Trail Of Destruction Behind As It Loses Steam
Cyclone Amphan has weakened significantly and is over Bangladesh and moved over to Bangladesh as a cyclonic storm after clobbering West Bengal, the India Meteorological Department has said.?
In the next three to six hours it will further dissipate into a deep depression and a depression, the two stages that signify a further weakening of the cyclone, it said.However, it has left a trail of destruction behind, mostly in West Bengal, the worst affected by the cyclone.?
West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that 72 people have been killed in the state due to Cyclone Amphan which made landfall on Wednesday.Of these, 12 are Kolkata locals and a majority of casualties are reported from five districts of the state.The Kolkata airport, which had been shut, was left flooded and many structures within damaged.?
Banerjee said that a meeting of a special task force will take place to asses the damage and find ways to provide relief to the people."There have been casualties. I announce a compensation of Rs 2.5 Lakh to the families of those who died in Cyclone Amphan," the chief minister said.?
Packing heavy rain and winds with speeds of up to 190 kmph, 'Amphan' slammed the Digha coast of West Bengal at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, triggering heavy rainfall in various parts of the state.The cyclone barrelled through the districts of North and South 24 Parganas, unleashing copious rain and windstorm, blowing away thatched houses, uprooting trees, electric poles and swamping the low-lying towns and villages.?
The full extent of the damage caused by the Cyclone will only be revealed in the coming days.?
"Around 5 lakh people evacuated in West Bengal have been told to remain in shelters; more than 2 lakh people in Odisha were evacuated since the situation is under control and weather has moderated in Odisha, some people have started returning to their homes," said the NDRF chief.?
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is setting up special teams to visit these states and assess the damages. These teams - separate for West Bengal and Odisha, reportedly headed by Deputy Secretary or above rank official and comprising a total of almost a dozen people from various ministries, and are expected to arrive in these states by Thursday evening or Friday, says report.?
These teams, learnt to comprise officials from the Disaster Management, Finance, Jal Shakti Ministries, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) among others, will assess the damage and "submit an early report" to the MHA.? ?
