Cyclone Yaas live updates: Bihar govt announces compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for families of those died due to cyclone

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) director general Satya Narayan Pradhan, who is from Odisha, speaks to Debabrata Mohapatra on cyclone preparedness and challenges.

If the high velocity wind had wreaked havoc in Kolkata a year ago when cyclone Amphan smashed into the city, it is heavy rain brought by cyclone Yaas, coupled with year's highest tide Sarasari Baan, that threaten to inundate large parts of Kolkata. While the heavy rain forecast is expected to be much more than the maximum 10mm per hour that the city's drainage system can tackle, the timing of the Sarasari Baan on Buddha Purnima means that for several hours, the drainage pumping stations will be unable to pump out water into the Hooghly on high tide.

Three deaths — two in Hooghly and one in Asansol — were reported in Bengal on Tuesday in weather-related events, even as the state government evacuated 11 lakh people from south Bengal’s coastal areas, a day before Cyclone Yaas is expected to make landfall in Odisha. There were two instances of localised tornadoes: the first, in Halisahar, North 24 Parganas, formed at 2.45pm and lasted 80 seconds, damaging 40 homes in its 150-metre radius and injured five persons; the second, reported from Chinsurah and Bandel in Hooghly around 3pm, had little impact.

Cyclone Yaas, which has intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm, is on course to eventually hit land to the north of Dhamra and south of Balasore in Odisha around Wednesday noon, more than 290km from Kolkata, thereby leading to a possible slide in impact on the metropolis. While the distance from the landfall spot could save Kolkata from an Amphan-like destruction, it could still be swept by winds at a speed of 60kmph, gusting to 70kmph, causing substantial damage. Even though a spell of heavy rain has been predicted for the city on Wednesday, the showers could be light to moderate and sporadic in Kolkata, the Met office said.