India cyclone kills nine, thousands homeless
- 27 May 2021
Gulf Today Report
Thousands of people were homeless Thursday after a cyclone battered Covid-ravaged India and neighbouring Bangladesh, killing nine people including four children.
Barely a week after Cyclone Tauktae claimed at least 155 lives in western India, Cyclone Yaas forced the evacuation of more than 1.5 million people in the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha.
The storm hit on Wednesday with torrential rain and howling winds gusting up to 155 kilometres (96 miles) an hour, equivalent to a category two hurricane.
Cyclones are a regular menace in the northern Indian Ocean but many scientists say they are becoming more frequent and severe as climate change warms sea temperatures.
Waves the size of double-decker buses pounded the shore and swamped towns and villages along the coastline, exacerbated by a higher-than-normal tide because of a full moon.
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Prabir Maity, a resident of a village close to the sea, told AFP: "I have lost my home, everything."
Two people died in West Bengal, two in Odisha and five in neighbouring Bangladesh, officials said.
Many scientists say cyclones are becoming more frequent and severe in the northern Indian Ocean as climate change warms the sea.
Last week Cyclone Tauktae claimed at least 155 lives in western India. The latest system, Cyclone Yaas, has forced the evacuation of more than 1.2 million people in the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha.
The Indian Meteorological Department said landfall began around 9:00 am (0330 GMT) and warned that it would generate waves higher than rooftops in some areas.
Coastal areas experienced wind gusts up to 155 kilometres (95 miles) an hour and pounding rain.
A general view shows flooding as Cyclone Yaas approaches Bhadrak, Odisha, India, on Wednesday. Reuters
The weather office said the "very severe cyclone" had begun landfall and will cross Odisha and neighbouring West Bengal states by noon.
More than a million people have been moved out of the storm's path, authorities said. Storm surges have been forecast in the low lying areas of Odisha and West Bengal.
Police said they had rescued 10 people whose boat capsized near the shore in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district on Tuesday.
The Indian navy said its naval base Chilka was monitoring ships in the area and was ready to mount rescue and relief operations.
A local resident walks towards a shelter as the cyclone starts making a landfall. AFP
A devastating second wave of coronavirus infections complicated storm preparations. Officials in Odisha said they had suspended testing, vaccination and door-to-door health survey in the three districts that lay directly in the storm's path.
