On Sunday, about 8:30 p.m., a severe cyclonic storm named ‘Remal’ made landfall between the beaches of Bangladesh and West Bengal. The typhoon produced severe rains, flooding houses and crops and leaving a trail of damage.
Cyclone Remal: Top Ten Updates
The landfall happened between Sagar Island in Bengal and Khepupara, about southwest of Mongla in neighboring Bangladesh. As the hurricane made landfall, the broad coastline was obscured by heavy sheets of rain, with rising surges pushing fishing boats inland and flooding mud-and-thatch dwellings and farmlands in low-lying places.
According to the MeT, “Severe cyclonic storm Remal made landfall between Sagar Island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh on Sunday night, with wind speeds reaching up to 135 kmph.”
Cyclone Remal destroyed fragile homes, uprooted trees, and toppled electric poles in North and South 24 Parganas, as well as East Midnapore. More than a lakh people were evacuated from susceptible locations in West Bengal before the storm hit.
According to an official, evacuation operations centered on moving residents from the South 24 Parganas area, specifically Sagar Island, the Sundarbans, and Kakdwip.
Streets and residences in low-lying regions surrounding Kolkata were flooded. A wall fell in Kolkata’s Bibir Bagan district, injuring one person, after a severe downpour.
Cyclone Remal also caused major delays to aviation, rail, and road traffic in Kolkata and other parts of southern Bengal. Eastern and South Eastern Railways canceled certain trains, while Kolkata Airport ceased aviation operations for 21 hours, impacting 394 flights.
Somnath Dutta, the eastern regional chief of the India Meteorological Department, predicted that winds and rainfall would increase in the southern Bengal districts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a meeting to examine the reaction and readiness for the cyclone, while West Bengal Governor Dr. CV Ananda Bose kept a watchful eye on the situation.
According to Mayor Firhad Hakim, authorities from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) evacuated residents from high-rises and decaying structures.
Hakim stated that 15,000 city staff had been deployed to deal with post-cyclone eventualities, including equipment for quickly removing massive uprooted trees.
The cyclone brought mild rain and winds to Digha, Kakdwip, and Jaynagar, and it is likely to increase on Monday.
