Cyclone Amphan Fury Leaves West Bengal Battered

Kolkata: Several parts of West Bengal wore a ravaged look after the extremely severe cyclone Amphan ripped through the state on Wednesday, leaving 72 people dead and inflicting colossal damage to properties.

Thousands of houses were blown away and electricity poles uprooted while farm fields were inundated as the Amphan crossed West Bengal with its full fury. South and North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore were the worst affected.

The standing crops have been destroyed in a large scale, farmlands inundated and embankments breached at many places. Rainwater has been gushing in from overflowing rivers and sea to land areas on their banks.

“Both North and South 24 Parganas have been completely ravaged by the cyclone. East Midnapore has also suffered extensive damage,” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

North and South 24 Parganas are reeling under drinking water crisis with ponds and water bodies inundated and contaminated.

Kolkata also suffered massive damage as buildings collapsed, trees got uprooted on almost every road. The winding drains in lanes and bylanes got choked as the heavy rain followed the cyclone. Streets and homes in low lying areas were swamped with rainwater.

Large parts of the city were plunged into darkness as power poles were flattened. Mobile and internet services were also snapped as the cyclone had damaged several communication towers.

Kolkata airport also received the onslaught of the cyclone. The tarmac, runways and hangars were flooded with rain water. In one area, the roof had reportedly caved in. All operations at the airport have been closed down.

Massive damage is apprehended in the Sunderbans Delta. The eye of the cyclone crossed Sunderbans with gusty wind blowing at 185 kmph, according to India Meteorological Department.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 Lakh to each family of those who died in the disaster. A Central team will visit the States to take stock of the extent of damage caused by Amphan.