Cyclone Yaas: Bihar on high alert as storm enters state

The Nitish Kumar government in the state has asked all district magistrates (DMs) to remain on high alert after Cyclone Yaas hit the Odisha and West Bengal coastal belt and entered Bihar.

Two teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and five teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been put on standby in Patna so that they can be deployed as and when required.

The East Central Railway (ECR) has, meanwhile, cancelled several trains on the Patna-Howrah route following the Met department's prediction that Bihar too may witness 80 mm to 120 mm rainfall once Cyclone Yaas enters the state.

Also Read | 1 crore people affected, 3 lakh houses damaged due to cyclone Yaas, says Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

“Heavy rainfall and thunderstorm are likely to hit several districts in South Bihar from Wednesday late evening, as these areas are more prone to experience the high impact of the cyclone,” said director of Patna Meteorological Centre, Vivek Sinha.

Till the time of reporting, Patna started witnessing moderate rainfall, while the eastern part of the state, bordering Bengal, has been experiencing heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, the NDRF teams stationed here are fully equipped with inflatable boats which can be deployed in low lying areas if they get submerged due to heavy rainfall.

“The NDRF team is fully prepared to handle the situation arising out of heavy rainfall and thunderstorm on May 27, May 28 and May 29 in Bihar. I am also in touch with Bihar’s Disaster Management Principal Secretary, Pratyay Amrit,” said NDRF battalion commandant, VK Sinha.