Cyclone Yaas has left behind a trail of destruction across India's east coast and its adjoining areas, after making landfall as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm on Wednesday, May 26. Extremely rough weather conditions induced by the cyclone battered several parts of the region in the form of strong gusty winds, torrential downpour and high tides—especially over the coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal. Balasore in Odisha and its neighbouring areas, where the landfall occurred, bore the brunt of the storm.
In view of the approaching cyclone, the West Bengal government had evacuated more than 15 lakh people. Despite the excessive efforts put forth by the government and rescue force officials, however, nearly one crore people were impacted by the storm. Moreover, the intense storm led to the destruction of approximately 3 lakh houses, the uprooting of enumerable trees, the collapse of properties, and severe inundation of low-lying areas.
A total of 134 embankments have also been completely destroyed by the storm, including the ones of Frazerganj, Bakkhali, Sundarban, Kakdwip, Namkhana, Sagar Island, Gosaba and other places in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district were also severely breached.
Recent reports also state that the ferocious cyclonic storm claimed the lives of at least three people—two in Odisha and one in West Bengal. But overall, the precautionary measures did play a major role in minimising human casualties.
Meanwhile, power restoration, rescue missions and rehabilitation operations are still on, with the NDRF, SDRF and the army working together to help people from the flooded areas. As these processes continue, here are some glimpses of the destruction caused by Cyclone Yaas and its induced weather:
(With inputs from IANS)
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