A two-month-old baby from Odisha is said to be the first causality of severe cyclonic storm Amphan on Wednesday, 20 May. The incident took place at Kampada village in the Tihidi block of Bhadrak district when a wall collapsed due to the storm. The baby died after he was buried in the debris of the house.
As the super cyclone hurtled towards the coast of Odisha, heavy rain coupled with high-velocity winds collided in the coastal region which resulted in the flattening fragile structures and the uprooting of trees.
Additionally, three members of a family were injured after an uprooted tree fell in their house in Balasore. In Jagatsinghpur, many thatched structures were destroyed as well. Many uprooted and fallen trees in Bhadrak district caused road blockade for hours in a stretch causing traffic snarls in various parts of the district.
As of now, authorities of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stated that wind speed has picked up near the coastal parts of Odisha. The state has already evacuated nearly 1.5 lakh residents from Bhadrak and Balasore and over 3.3 lakh people evacuated in West Bengal.
As per the data of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the storm surge could be four to six metres of seawater entering the land area and as of now, 41 teams are deployed for relief response in both West Bengal and Odisha.
(Published in an arrangement with EastMojo)
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