Kolkata Cyclone Remal Highlights: Cyclone Remal made a landfall in the coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh and was followed by heavy rain and gusty winds in the region. The severe cyclonic storm has now weakened into a Cyclonic Storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
As per the IMD, the cyclone moved northwards and crossed the coasts of Bangladesh and adjacent West Bengal between Sagar Islands and Khepupara, near the southwest of Mongla. In its wake, several regions in India and Bangladesh were met with strong winds and heavy rain. Millions have been left without electricity after power poles fell. A man was killed in Kolkata when concrete chunks fell on him during the peak of the storm, police said. A total of six people have died in India, while in Bangladesh the death toll was at 10, as per Reteurs.
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Cyclone Remal Live Updates
“In the last six hours, cyclone ‘Remal’ has been moving toward the North Bay at a speed of 13 km/hour. It is currently southwest of Khepupara, Bangladesh, with windspeeds of 95-105 km/hour. The cyclone is expected to continue moving north and is projected to cross the region between Sagar Island and Khepupara around midnight. The maximum windspeed will be 110-120 km/hour, with gusts up to 135 km/hour,” IMD scientist Somenath Dutta said.
Thunderstorms with lightning, squally winds reaching speeds of 60 kmph, gusting to 70 kmph, and heavy to very heavy rainfall are likely in isolated areas of South, Dhalai, Khowai, and West Tripura districts on May 27. Hence, a red alert has been issued in these four districts, said Revenue secretary Brijesh Pandey.
Tripura, Secretary Disaster Management, Brijesh Pandey says, “It (cyclone Remal) is slowly moving towards North and it is likely to impact Tripura by night…We have already started preparation.”
#WATCH | Agartala, Tripura: On weather alert issued for Tripura, Secretary Disaster Management, Brijesh Pandey says, "It (cyclone Remal) is slowly moving towards North and it is likely to impact Tripura by night…We have already started preparation…On 24th May, once we got the… pic.twitter.com/kqm6iMTKb3
— ANI (@ANI) May 26, 2024
The Tripura government has declared a red alert in four districts: South, Dhalai, Khowai, and West. The storm is expected to make landfall between the coasts of Bangladesh and neighbouring West Bengal by midnight.
Nine disaster relief teams have been placed on standby at strategic locations. These teams are stationed at Haldia and Fraserganj in West Bengal, as well as Paradip and Gopalpur in Odisha.
Ten Kolkata police teams have been deployed across ten police divisions of the city. We are also coordinating with KMC (Kolkata Municipal Corporation), SDRF and NDRF, a police official said.
Due to the cyclone, the Eastern Railway took precautionary measures by suspending train services in the Sealdah South section and Barasat-Hasnabad section of the Sealdah division from 11 pm of Sunday to 6 am of Monday.
Coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh are bracing for potential inundation, with storm surge projections indicating levels of up to one meter above the astronomical tide during landfall. The weather office has issued a warning advising fishermen against venturing into the sea in the northern Bay of Bengal until the morning of May 27.
The northeastern states of India are expected to experience varying degrees of precipitation in the coming days. Assam and Meghalaya are anticipated to witness extremely heavy rainfall, while the other states in the region, including Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura, are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rain. These conditions are forecasted for May 27 and 28.
The severe cyclone is set to bring extremely heavy rain in the coastal districts of West Bengal and heavy to very heavy rain in Kolkata and its adjoining areas.
“A large-scale evacuation has already started. All vulnerable people are presumed to be moved to safer places at the shortest possible time,” said Director General of the Department of Disaster Management Mizanur Rahman.
According to the latest cyclone warning bulletin, ‘Remal’ is likely to move in a northerly direction and may cross Sagar island of West Bengal-Khepupara coast near Mongla by evening or midnight, PTI reported.
Bangladesh has launched an intensified evacuation campaign in vulnerable areas as it prepares for severe cyclonic storm ‘Remal’ forecast to make landfall by evening or midnight. The storm might make a landfall with a potential high tidal surge and heavy rainfall in the country’s coastal districts of Satkhira and Cox’s Bazar.
The storm, forecasted to bring maximum sustained wind speeds of 110-120 km/h with gusts up to 135 km/h, is expected to make landfall around 11 PM on Sunday near Khepupara and Sagar Island.
The Bangladesh weather office has raised its storm danger signal to the highest level of 10 for two ports and nine coastal districts, issuing warnings via loudspeakers, as per a Reuters report.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cyclone Remal is expected to cause damage across several West Bengal districts, including South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogly, Kolkata, and adjoining East Medinipur.
As per an AP report, Bangladesh, on Sunday, evacuated nearly 800,000 people from the vulnerable areas as it awaits the arrival of Cyclone Remal. The storm is expected to cross Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal coasts around midnight Sunday.
In a latest tweet, the IMD has said, “SCS Remal over North BoB is about 220km SSW of Khepupara, 210km SE of Sagar Islands. Max wind speed of 95-105 kmph is over cyclone centre. Likely to move northwards intensify and cross Bangladesh and adj WB coasts midnight of today, the as SCS with max wind speed of 110-120 kmph.”
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The IMD has issued an orange alert for the Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim which are likely to get isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall on May 27 and 28.
Similarly, Arunachal Pradesh has also been issued an orange alert for isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall on May 27, 29 and 30, with heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy falls on May 28.
Assam and Meghalaya are very likely to get isolated heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy falls on May 27 and 28, with heavy to very heavy rainfall on may 29. The IMD has issued a red alert for these regions.
The IMD has predicted that the Gangetic West Bengal is very likely to get isolated heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy falls today and tomorrow.
About nine flights departing from Kolkata Airport and seven arriving flights were canceled on Sunday due to the approaching cyclone ‘Remal’. The airport closed at 12:16 PM on Sunday.
Numerous passengers experienced inconvenience as flight operations at Kolkata Airport were suspended for 21 hours due to cyclone ‘Remal’.
The Indian Navy has said that it is staying vigilant and is closely monitoring the evolving situation.
In a statement, the Navy said, “The Indian Navy has initiated preparatory actions, following existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), to mount a credible Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) response in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal. The cyclone is anticipated to cross the coast on the intervening night of 26/ 27 May 2024. The situation is being closely monitored at Naval Headquarters, with comprehensive preparatory actions being undertaken by the Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command.”
“Cyclone Remal, which is expected to intensify into a severe cyclone, is forecasted to make landfall between Sagar Island, West Bengal and Khepupara, Bangladesh. In preparation, the Indian Navy has readied two ships equipped with HADR and medical supplies for immediate deployment to ensure the safety and welfare of the affected populace. Additionally, Indian Naval aviation assets, including Sea King and Chetak helicopters as well as Dornier aircrafts, are on standby for rapid response.”
“Specialised diving teams with equipment have been stationed in Kolkata to provide prompt assistance. Additionally, diving teams with necessary equipment are on standby in Visakhapatnam, prepared for quick deployment if needed. Two Flood Relief Teams (FRTs), along with HADR and medical supplies, are being positioned in Kolkata. In addition, two FRTs each from Visakhapatnam and Chilka are ready and on standby for deployment at short notice.”
West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Vishal Kumar announced on Saturday that NDRF teams are preparing to evacuate residents from low-lying areas to safe shelters and will initiate relief operations as necessary.
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As per a PTI report, the Cyclone Remal is expected to impact the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
The IMD in its latest update said that the cyclonic storm Remal intensified to Severe Cyclonic Storm about 270km SSE of Sagar Islands in West Bengal.
https://x.com/Indiametdept/status/1794566042653774203
In the view of Cyclone Remal, the Kolkata airport will be suspending flight operations at the airport for 21 hours starting noon today.
As per the IMD, Remal will bring extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds to coastal regions of Bangladesh and West Bengal.
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