Cyclone Amphan Live Updates: Amphan, now a super cyclone, says IMD :-livemint

Cyclone 'Amphan' intensified into an extremely severe storm today and is all set to unleash heavy rains coupled with high-velocity winds in coastal Odisha. The extremely severe cyclonic storm 'Amphan' is likely to gain more strength and intensify further into a super cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours, the IMD said.

The high-velocity winds may cause extensive damage to mud houses and partial damage to 'pucca' structures, it said.

The winds may also lead to bending or uprooting of power and communication poles, minor disruption of railways and may affect overhead power lines and signalling systems and also cause widespread damage to standing crops, plantations, orchards, the IMD said.

According to IMD, the cyclone was centred around 790 km south of Paradip in Odisha, 940 km south-southwest of Digha in West Bengal and 1060 km south-southwest of Khepupara in Bangladesh.

It is very likely to move north-northeastwards across northwest Bay of Bengal and cross West Bengal Bangladesh coasts between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya Islands in Bangladesh during the afternoon or evening of May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph, he said.

According to the Met department, coastal districts like Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore are likely to experience heavy rainfall accompanied by high-velocity winds, particularly on May 19 and 20

The district collectors of Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khurda and Nayagarh have been asked to remain in a state of preparedness for evacuating people from vulnerable areas whenever necessary.

Here are the Live Updates on Cyclone Amphan:

• Amphan now a 'super cyclone' and it is a serious issue, the only other cyclone in Odisha in 1999 was very deadly: NDRF DG S N Pradhan
• Amphan is very likely to intensify into a super cyclonic storm in the next six hours.
• 'Amphan' very likely to intensify into a super cyclonic storm in next 6 hours. We've issued heavy rainfall warnings for Gajapati, Puri, GanjamJagatsinghpur, Kendrapara. Tomorrow rainfall activity to increase in Balasore,Bhadrak, Jajapur,Mayurbhanj,Khurja,Cuttack, ANI quoted Director,IMD Bhubaneswar
• 37 NDRF teams to combat dual challenge of cyclone 'Amphan', COVID-19: S N Pradhan, NDRF Director General, said.
• With Amphan turning into a super-cyclone, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government geared up to make necessary arrangements for the cyclonic spell that is expected to make a landfall in the state.
• Amphan intensifies into super cyclone; likely to cross West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts on May 20 as very severe cyclonic storm: IMD.
• Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena to ANI: We expect widespread rains in coastal Odisha tomorrow. On May 20, there could be heavy to very heavy rainfall in northern districts of Odisha, with wind speed reaching up to 110 kmph in certain parts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara & Jagatsinghpur.
• Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena to ANI: We are fully prepared to deal with any situation arising out of cyclone Amphan. We have moved rapid response teams, fire teams, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to the districts which can be affected by Amphan
• The Tamil Nadu government said the state will not face the impact of cyclone 'Amphan' but it was constantly monitoring the situation along with the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues heavy rainfall warning for Odisha, West Bengal, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya till May 21st in the light of extremely severe cyclonic storm.
• PM Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) today at 4 PM, to review the arising cyclone situation in parts of the country.
• Around 50 boats of fishermen damaged in Rameswaram following the thunderstorm and rainfall which hit parts of the state last night.

• The cyclone will move towards north-northeast direction and cross Digha (West Bengal)-Hathiya island (Bangladesh) on the afternoon/evening of 20th May with a wind speed of 155-165 kmph: Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra, IMD director general.
• The weather department had already warned the fishermen to remain away from the sea, as the sea conditions become rough to phenomenal due to the cyclone.
• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed officials to prepare a plan for relocating people living in vulnerable areas to safer places along with an early restoration of affected road communication, drinking water supply, electricity, infrastructure and power supply to hospitals.

Cyclone 'Amphan' comes a year after cyclone Fani barreled through vast areas of Odisha on May 3 last year, claiming at least 64 lives and destroying infrastructure in power, telecommunication, water supply and other vital sectors.