Cyclone 'Amphan': 41 NDRF teams deployed in West Bengal, Odisha

A total of 41 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in West Bengal and Odisha to deal with any emergency situation arising out of cyclone 'Amphan', NDRF chief S N Pradhan said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Pradhan said cyclone ‘Amphan’ is a second disaster coming in the time of already prevailing COVID-19 and it requires continuous monitoring.

"A total of 41 NDRF teams including reserves are deployed in two Amphan-affected states of Odisha and West Bengal," he said.

The NDRF Director General said Amphan will be extremely severe cyclonic storm when it makes a landfall on May 20 and its hit potential remains strong. He said the NDRF has learnt from its experience of handling cyclone ‘Fani’ and has deployed tree-pole cutters in the areas which are expected to be hit.

"Wireless sets, satellite phones and other communication equipment are also with our teams. Our preparation is on par with facing a super cyclone like the one that hit the Odisha coast in 1999," he said.

Cyclone 'Amphan' has developed into a super cyclone over the Bay of Bengal on Monday and has the potential to cause extensive damage in the coastal districts of West Bengal when it makes landfall, the government had said.

This is the second super cyclone over the Bay of Bengal in two decades.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall on the West Bengal coast in the afternoon of May 20 between Digha in West Bengal and Hatia island in Bangladesh as an extremely severe cyclonic storm.