Cyclone Yaas: 18 NDRF teams deployed in Odisha

In view of Cyclone Yaas, as many as 18 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Odisha. Seven teams have been deployed in Balasore, 4 in Bhadrak, 3 in Kendrapada, 2 in Jajpur, one each in Jagatsinghpur and Mayurbhanj. Four teams have been kept as reserve, as per the NDRF.

According to the Odisha government, 66 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and 177 fire services teams are being deployed in areas that are likely to be affected by the cyclone. The Indian Air Force has airlifted 21 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief equipment, along with 334 NDRF personnel on Sunday.

To mitigate the effect of the cyclone, the IAF has airlifted 606 personnel and 57 tonnes load of NDRF so far since 21 May. "#CycloneYaas Airlift of 21T of #HADR eqpt & 334 personnel of @NDRFHQ by 5xC-130 aircraft from Patna & Varanasi to Kolkata and Arakkonam to Port Blair is currently underway. #IAF has airlifted 606 personnel and 57T load of NDRF since 21 May, to mitigate the cyclone effect", the Indian Air Force tweeted.

Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts are likely to be worst affected by the cyclonic storm Yaas which will reach the state on May 26, Umashankar Das, Deputy Director of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar on Sunday said. "We are expecting that the well-marked low-pressure area over the east-central Bay of Bengal will concentrate into a depression during next 12 hours and by tomorrow (May 24), it is going to be a cyclonic storm and will continue to move in the north north-westward direction and on May 26 it will reach Odisha, West Bengal, and Bangladesh coast," Umashankar Das told ANI.

"The North Odisha districts, particularly Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, and Balasore are expected to most affected," Das said. The Deputy Director of IMD Bhubaneswar informed that Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khordha, and Puri are expected to receive heavy to heavy rainfall on May 25.

"On May 26, we are expecting extremely heavy rainfall at Mayurbhanj and Balasore," he added.The IMD had earlier predicted that the cyclonic storm Yaas will hit the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal on May 26 and both the states will experience heavy rainfall from May 22 to 26.

(ANI)

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