Bhubaneswar/Thiruvananthapuram : Cyclone Umpun formed far out in Bay of Bengal, has intensified into super cyclone on Tuesday. Umpun is likely to lose strength tomorrow after which, it will make a landfall on West Bengal’s Dikha island and Hathia in Bangladesh, according to the meteorological department(MD). Upon striking these coasts, The super cyclone is expected to reach wind speeds of 155 -185 km/hour. The storm will trigger heavy downpours in Odisha, Bengal and Andaman Nicobar.
A high-level committee headed by PM assessed the action plan to combat Umpun. Authorities in Odisha have begun evacuating residents from vulnerable locations. The National Disaster Management Authority deployed 37 rescue teams in Odisha and West Bengal to tackle Umpun and Covid-19 situations.
Incidentally, a storm is classified as cyclone if it acquires wind speeds between 167 – 221 km/hour. To be graded as ‘super cyclone’, the cyclone must escalate to wind speeds above 222 kmph. .
Yellow Alert in 9 Districts
High winds and heavy rains triggered by Umpun on Monday wrecked havoc across several districts in Kerala. Sunday night, heavy winds damaged Thitapally, Bali Kallpara, Valiya Adukala, Uutuppura and elephant sheds at Vaikom’s Mahadeva Temple.
The state will witness heavy downpours on Tuesday too. Yellow Alerts have been issued in 8 districts of Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram. These places are expected to have high winds ranging 30 – 40 kmph, accompanied by heavy rains.
Fisherfolks have been warned against venturing into the sea. Settlements at places vulnerable to landslides and those along coastal and river stretches have been advised to stay on high alert.
