Cyclone News LIVE: 'Sitrang' to Intensify into Severe Storm; Bengal Takes Precautionary Measures

Cyclone Sitrang is very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm as it gathers pace over the Bay of Bengal and will make a landfall in Bangladesh on Tuesday morning, the IMD said.

The deep depression over Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclone on Sunday evening and is very likely to gather further strength becoming a severe cyclonic storm on Monday with wind speed reaching 90 to 100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph.

The cyclone, named Sitrang by Thailand, cause heavy to very heavy rain in the coastal districts of West Bengal and isolated heavy rain in north coastal Odisha, as per the IMD.

Here are the latest updates on Cyclone Sitrang:

• Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday said an alert has been sounded across the state, after the weather office forecast downpour, owing the impact of cyclone Sitrang’.
• West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee appealed to the people to avoid going out unnecessarily or to the sea areas including the Sundarbans.

• The West Bengal government has taken all precautionary measures, including evacuation of people and supply of relief materials to shelters, to deal with possible devastation under the impact of cyclone ‘Sitrang’, a senior official said on Monday. Several teams of the disaster management department along with SDRF and NDRF personnel have been posted in coastal areas of the state, he said.
• Tourists are not being allowed to visit the Bakkhali Sea Beach in South 24 Parganas and the shops have also been closed. We are fully prepared for the cyclone, said Disaster management official Anmol Sasmor.
• Heavy rainfall is expected over coastal region of Odisha and West Bengal today. Light to very heavy rainfall is also likely in northeastern states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura today.
• NDRF teams are on standby in coastal areas in West Bengal and are working to spread awareness among locals. Speaking to reporters at the Digha coastline in East Midnapore, an NDRF official said that they, along with the police, were warning people about the incoming rain and high winds as the cyclone intensifies. “We have asked them to stay away from the coast as it could be dangerous and have asked them to go to the government cyclone shelters,” he said.
• A total of 14 teams of the NDRF have been deployed at various locations. Out of this, four teams are in South 24 Parganas, two teams are staying in North 24 Parganas and there are three teams in East Midnapore, as per Hindustan Times. These three districts might be worst affected by the cyclone, as per reports.
• The southern districts of West Bengal, including Kolkata, woke up to light rain and an overcast sky on Monday as Sitrang moved towards north Bay of Bengal, raising the likelihood of a downpour during the day and threatening to dampen Diwali festivities, as per PTI.
• Cyclone Sitrang has been moving north-northeastwards at a speed of 15 kmph during the last six hours, the IMD said. It is expected to intensify further as it continues moving and will likely cross Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island and Sandwip early morning tomorrow, it said.
• The IMD on Monday morning predicted that Sitrang will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in 12 hours. The cyclone is 430 km south of Sagar Island and 580 km south-southwest of Barisal (Bangladesh), it said, adding that the storm will move north-northeast and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in 12 hours before hitting the coast of Bangladesh on Tuesday morning.
• Kolkata is bracing for impact from the storm which is set to make landfall in Bangladesh on Tuesday. “Necessary precautions have been worked out. Teams will be deployed in the control room, and every borough office for 24 hours,” said Debashish Kumar, mayor-in-council, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), as quoted by Hindustan Times.
• At 3:17 am on Monday, the cyclonic storm was about 520 km south of Sagar Island and 670 km south-southwest of Barisal (Bangladesh), as per the IMD. It is likely “to move north-northeastwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 12 hrs. To cross the Bangladesh coast between Tinkona Island & Sandwip,” it said.
• “Wind speeds of over 50 to 60 kmph and very heavy rain is likely over West Bengal coast during landfall, but more impact is likely over the Sundarban region, which is closer to the landfall point,” said Ananda Kumar Das, in-charge of the weather office’s cyclone monitoring division, as quoted in Hindustan Times. 
• It is likely to cause heavy to very heavy rain in the coastal districts of West Bengal and isolated heavy rain in north coastal Odisha, the IMD said. Tidal waves of up to 5-6 metres are expected to inundate low lying areas of North and South 24 Parganas in West Bengal and coastal areas of Bangladesh at landfall, it said.
• Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and West Midnapore are likely to be affected by wind reaching speed of 40 to 50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph on Tuesday, while it will be 30 to 40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph on Monday in these districts, deputy director-general of the Regional Met Centre in Kolkata Sanjib Bandopadhyay told reporters on Sunday. “The main affected area will be the Sunderbans in the coastal areas of North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal and in Bangladesh,” he said.
• Damage to property and infrastructure is likely in West Bengal due to heavy rain, accompanied by winds and high tidal waves. These are likely to cause damage to kutcha embankments and roads, disruption of power and communication lines and damage to kutcha houses.
• In Odisha, heavy rains are likely to lash certain places in the coastal districts of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Puri till 8.30 am on Monday. A yellow warning of heavy rainfall was issued for Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, and Cuttack till Tuesday morning.
• Offshore activities have been suspended in the north Bay of Bengal, and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till October 25.

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