6 People Dead, Homes Damaged After Cyclone Yaas Ravaged Northeast India

A tropical cyclone left numerous casualties after it swept through parts of Northeast India, Bangladesh. India Meteorological Department reported that the cyclone came ashore in the state of Odisha about 10:30 a.m. local time, Wednesday.

The West Bengal districts are experiencing heavy mud floods, tens of thousands of damaged houses and reported killings of at least six people.

The relatively strong Cyclone Yaas made landfall in Odisha and impacted most in the northeast Indian state of West Bengal, flooded around 1,100 villages and left more than 50,000 people homeless. It is currently the second very severe cyclonic storm to hit India of the 2021 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, occurred weeks after Cyclone Tauktae swept Gujarat through early-to-mid May.

The state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee said to Reuters that at least 10 million people have suffered significantly from the consequences brought by the recent cyclone.

Impacts and Damages

At least six people were declared dead by Associated Press due to falling trees and collapsing houses. Waters rising chest-deep overwhelmed the roads in West Bengal resort town of Digha and damaged 20,000 mud houses and temporary shelters.

On Wednesday morning, the Times of India reported the unfortunate death of a 50-year-old man from Odisha after a tree branch fell on him.

He was one among the two people who encountered the same fate, aside from the two others who died in a house collapse in Odisha and West Bengal, Banerjee. On Tuesday, two more people were killed after being electrocuted by fallen power lines.

On the border of West Bengal and neighboring Odisha, boats and shops on a beach town from Udaipur were also damaged as check posts barricades were blown away. 20 inches of rain was recorded to have poured on the northern Odisha coast since Monday. In addition, trains and services in Kolkata and Bhubaneshwar were closed down.

In Bangladesh, 200 villages were flooded and at least 15,000 people were evacuated into temporary shelters.

Also read: Survivor of Cyclone Tauktae Drifts in Arabian Ocean for 11 Hours After Ship Sunk

Preparations Prior to Landfall

The Union Power Ministry of India have foreseen possible impacts Cyclone Yaas might have on the region after the extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Tauktae which killed over 9 individuals and left 100 more missing. The union had been expecting cyclones in the Bay of Bengal as it becomes more common at this time of year.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed some challenges in the storm preparations. Testing had to be suspended by Odisha officials, including vaccination and a door-to-door health survey in three districts.

Although the Health Ministry made efforts to prepare before landfall, unforeseen effects had disrupted COVID-19 treatment. Fortunately, electricity supplies have been prepared in case of power outages at hospitals and vaccine centers for possible power outages.

"All hospitals, including COVID hospitals, are running smoothly," state's top bureaucrat, Suresh Mahapatra told Reuters.

As of May 27, 18:54 (IST), Cyclone Yaas has dispersed into a low-pressure area, although after-effects are expected such as moderate rainfall in state in the next 48 hours. Isolated areas are informed to stay alert as they may witness heavy rainfall according to Patna Meteorological centre 

Also read: Atlantic Storm Warning Could Signal Early Hurricane Season for the Seventh Time