Indian Navy on High Alert for Relief Efforts in Wake of Cyclone Amphan

VISHAKHAPATNAM:
In the wake of Cyclone Amphan, the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) is monitoring the developments in the Bay of Bengal closely and ships at Visakhapatnam have been kept on standby to proceed to affected areas to undertake humanitarian aid, distress relief, evacuation, and logistic support.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Amphan is likely to make landfall between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) close to Sundarbans near afternoon today and is likely to cause havoc in parts of Odisha and West Bengal. According to the Indian Navy, these ships are embarked with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats and relief material including food, tentage, clothes, medicines, blankets in sufficient quantities.

Additionally, 20 rescue teams with Gemini boats and medical teams are also kept ready for augmenting rescue and relief efforts in Odisha and West Bengal. Naval aircraft are also standing by at the Naval Air Stations INS Dega at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and INS Rajali at Arakkonam, Tamilnadu to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, and casualty evacuation if required.

The ENC is also coordinating with the state administrations in Odisha and West Bengal to augment rescue and relief operations as needed.

The IMD has issued a warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Odisha (Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Keonjhargarh Districts) and isolated heavy falls over Jagatsinghpur district for today. It has also predicted heavy falls at isolated places in the Gangetic West Bengal (east and west Medinipur, south and north 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogli, Kolkata and adjoining districts).