Amphan becomes a super cyclone as thousands evacuated
It’s the first time that super cyclones have been recorded in two consecutive years
India began evacuating thousands of villagers and halted port operations ahead of a cyclone expected to hit its east coast this week, officials said yesterday, piling pressure on emergency services grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.
The India Meteorological Department yesterday said that “Amphan” cyclone over the west and central parts of Bay of Bengal has intensified into a “super cyclone” with wind speed above 200km/hour.
According to Vineet Kumar, researcher at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, this is the first time that super cyclones have been recorded in two consecutive years, Kyarr in 2019 and Amphan this year.
Orange alert
The IMD has issued an orange alert for coastal West Bengal and Odisha, where it said widespread damage is expected.
The weather agency said that there could be extensive damage to kutcha (makeshift) and old or damaged pucca (permanent)
constructions, uprooting of communications and power transmission poles, disruption of rail and road links, crops and plantations is expected. Large boats and ships can also get torn from moorings.
The super cyclone, expected to make landfall on Wednesday, comes as India eases the world’s longest lockdown, imposed in April against the virus, which has infected more than 100,000 people and killed 3,155.
The states of Odisha and West Bengal sent disaster management teams to move families from homes of mud and thatch to places of shelter from Amphan.
“We have to evacuate people from low-lying areas, and protect them from the coronavirus too,” said a senior official of India’s home ministry who sought anonymity. “It’s not an easy task.”
The cyclone season usually runs from April to December, with severe storms forcing the evacuations of tens of thousands, causing widespread death and damage.