Top facts about Cyclone Amphan which makes a landfall today

Last updated on February 13th, 2023 at 04:37 pm

As Cyclone Amphan batters parts of India and Bangladesh makes a landfall today, we have compiled a list of top 10 facts about Cyclone Amphan. The cyclone hits India at a time when the district administration and health officials are working to contain the spread of coronavirus. Several parts of the affected areas are still under lockdown.

• Amphan gets its name from the Thai word “Um-Pun,” which means sky.
• Cyclone Amphan is the first cyclone to hit the east coast of India, this year. It is one of the most severe storms to hit the coast in recent years. Amphan is only the “second super cyclone” in the north of the Indian Ocean since the observation of weather patterns has begun.
• Amphan is likely to cause torrential rains in eastern states of India – Odisha, West Bengal and parts of Bangladesh. It is going to make landfall later in the evening today near Sunderbans in West Bengal.
• Parts of West Bengal (Digha region) and Bangladesh (Hatiya) will experience high speed wind upto 185 km/ hour.
• Indian Navy is on high alert, and 40 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are deployed in Odisha and West Bengal areas, which will be impacted by the heavy rains and gusty winds. Evacuation, relief shelters, and relief work will have to maintain social distance. Rescued people will be provided with sanitizers and masks.
• Indian authorities have evacuated lakhs of people who are going to be affected by the storm.
• However, what can sound as come relief India’s Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that the cyclone is weakening. Now it is categorized as Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm, packing with a wind speed of 155-165 km/hour.
• Though the impact due to the weakening of cyclone might not be severe, the low lying coastal areas of Odisha are likely to witness high tide. The high-speed wind is expected to uproot trees and electricity poles. Areas might experience prolonged hours of power cuts and loss of communication.
  Movement of trains and flights have been affected. Kolkata airport has suspended all its operations till 5 am, 21 May 2020.
• Areas that are in the path of the storm have reported torrential rains and uprooting of trees since yesterday.

Read: Lockdown 4.0: New guidelines issued for workplaces by Health Ministry