Cyclone Amphan: Gale Storm, Heavy Rain Lash Kolkata, West Bengal Prepares For Worst

Kolkata: With the landfall process of Cyclone Amphan having started on Wednesday afternoon at Sunderbans, West Bengal braced for large-scale devastation.

Coastal areas are being been battered by gales with wind gusting upto 160 kmph, while Kolkata is experiencing wind speeds up to 100 kmph. Dozens of trees have been uprooted at major thoroughfares, electric posts have been affected and electric supply has been cut off in several parts of the city already. Relentless rain has also led to waterlogging in a number of streets.

According to the Met department, the cyclone is moving in a north-northeast direction and will reach Kolkata around 6.30 pm on way to Howrah, Hooghly and West Midnapore districts before heading to Bangladesh during midnight.

The question on everyone’s lips is, what will be the scale of damage compared to Aila and Bulbul, the two previous severe cyclonic storms to hit West Bengal in recent memory?

Having tracked the path of Amphan over the last two days, many experts are of the view that it will cause bigger damage of property and lives than Aila and Bulbul did.

Bulbul made landfall on November 9, 2019, close to Sagar Island and wreaked havoc in a large part of Sunderbans, the mangrove area in the delta formed by Hooghly, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers in the Bay of Bengal.

According to the estimates of the Mamata Banerjee-headed state government, the damages caused by Bulbul were to the tune of Rs 24,000 crore. As many as 3.5 million people were directly affected, over 5 lakh houses damaged, 6000 electric poles and lakhs of trees got uprooted in West Bengal. The number of deaths reported in the state was 14.

Bulbul had moved in an eastwardly direction after landfall, and was one of the strongest tropical storms to devastate Sunderbans, according to several oldtimers.

Aila had also made landfall near Sagar Island, on May 26, 2009. Unlike Bulbul, it moved in a northward direction and caused far bigger destruction in Kolkata. More than 1 million people were rendered homeless and 45 lives were lost in West Bengal including 18 in Kolkata.

Like Aila, Amphan is expected to have a big impact on Kolkata. The neighbouring districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah Hooghly, East and West Medinipur will also bear the brunt of Amphan.