Cyclone Mocha has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, has put Disaster Management Force personnel on high alert along the coastal regions of Purba Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts in West Bengal.
It is projected to make landfall on the coastlines of Bangladesh and Myanmar on Sunday. To ensure preparedness, seven teams of NDRF personnel, including divers, have been stationed in the Digha-Mandarmani coastal areas of Purba Medinipur district, as the sea conditions have become turbulent. Additionally, more than 100 state disaster management group personnel have been deployed in Bakkhali sea beach in South 24 Parganas district to monitor and restrict the movement of tourists and locals near the sea.
In anticipation of the cyclone’s landfall later in the day, arrangements have been made to evacuate residents residing in the coastal areas of both districts. Urgent efforts are underway to repair breaches in embankments, particularly in the Sunderbans region. Local authorities and police are utilizing loudspeakers to caution people against approaching the sea in the afternoon.
“Though the weather office has predicted that Cyclone Mocha will dodge past West Bengal, we have taken all precautionary measures in case there is any change. We have shifted people living in the low lying coastal areas of Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas to our safe shelters and adequate relief materials have been sent to these areas’ said the officials according to media reports. IMD warned the cyclone is very likely to cross southern Bangladesh and northern Myanmar as an extremely severe cyclone storm during the day.