The deep depression over the Bay of Bengal developed into a cyclone on Saturday triggering the India Meteorological Department to issue a stern warning for the coastal areas of West Bengal and northeastern states. Cyclone Remal as named by Oman will also make a landfill in the coastal region of Bangladesh. IMD in a special bulletin issued on Saturday said that the cyclone is expected to hit the coastal areas by Sunday midnight and bring extremely heavy rainfall to the affected areas for two days. Also, the IMD said the wind speed could be up to 135 kmph during the cyclonic activity.
Red Alert For Fishermen
The weather office has issued a red alert for fishermen. They are advised to stay safe from the sea which will remain rough and stormy during cyclonic activity. The sea could breach the limit of the astronomical tide during the cyclone leading to inundation of low-lying coastal areas predicted by the IMD. The good thing is that the authorities have taken cognizance of the alert and started preparations to rescue people to safe places.
Kolkata Suspends Operations
The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport has already suspended operation till the green signal from the Met Office that has predicted extremely rough weather conditions with heavy rainfall during its landfill. All 394 flights including domestic and international stand cancelled in the wake of the cyclonic activity.
NDRF Takes Charge
NDRF Inspector Zaheer Abbas confidently said that their team was fully prepared to handle the situation. He further said that their soldiers were well-equipped to handle every kind of disaster. They were ready for tree falling due to landfill and flood rescue in inundated areas. In northeastern states, Tripura is also closely monitoring the situation. The state government has ordered its functionaries to take appropriate measures according to IMD’s impact-based advisories.
Indian Navy Initiates Preparations
The Indian Navy said they would follow the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to provide quick Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) response to the affected areas. The Easter Naval Command that is monitoring the situation has kept two ships ready with HDAR and medical supplies for rescue operations in the affected areas. Additionally, the Navy can deploy its aviation assets, especially Dornier Aircraft, Sea King, and Chetak helicopters to speed up the rescue operations. Also, specialized diving teams with necessary equipment have been kept in standby mode in Kolkata to assist in rescue operations.