Cyclone Remal ravages parts of Bengal, heavy rain continues to batter region

A day after Cyclone Remal tore through the coasts of Bangladesh and West Bengal with devastating winds reaching speeds of 135 kilometres per hour scenes of widespread devastation were evident across West Bengals coastal areas with extensive damage to infrastructure and property reported news agency PTICyclone Remal ravaged adjacent coasts of the state and Bangladesh between Sagar Island and Khepupara near the southwest of Mongla in the neighbouring country after its landfall process began at 830 pm on SundayCyclone Remal left a trail of destruction in its wake Roofs of thatched huts were blown away trees uprooted and electric poles knocked down causing significant disruption in various parts of the state including Kolkata reported PTIEfforts to restore normality are underway with emergency services working to clear debris and restore power in the affected areas However the continuous heavy rain is hampering these operations in most of the affected areas officials saidThe full extent of the damage is still being assessed but initial reports suggest that it will take considerable time and effort to recover from this natural disasterThe state government has initiated relief operations providing food drinking water and medical assistance to the people affected reported PTIThe authorities have urged residents to remain indoors and take necessary precautions as the heavy rain persistsThe India Meteorological Department said the severe cyclonic storm crossed Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal coasts between Sagar Islands and Khepupara close to southwest of Mongla between 1030 pm of May 26 and 1230 am on May 27 reported PTIIn a later update it said Cyclone Remal weakened into a cyclonic storm at 530 am about 70 kilometres northeast of Canning and 30 kilometres westsouthwest of Mongla reported PTIThe system is likely to gradually weaken further it addedWaterlogging has been reported in several areas compounding the misery of the affected residentsThe storm brought with it heavy rain which continued into Monday flooding homes and farmlandsIn the Gosaba area of the Sundarbans one person was injured after being hit by debris In Kolkatas Bibir Bagan area a person was hurt when a wall collapsed due to the relentless downpour reported PTIThe West Bengal government evacuated more than one lakh people from vulnerable areas ahead of the cyclones landfall reported PTIThis effort was focused primarily on the South 24 Parganas district including Sagar Island Sundarbans and KakdwipWhile the move saved lives damage to property remains extensiveThe North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur districts reported widespread damage News footage from the coastal resort town of Digha showed tidal waves crashing into a seawall with surging waters sweeping fishing boats inland and inundating mudandthatch houses and farmlandsThe cyclone caused rainfall and winds in areas such as Digha Kakdwip and Jaynagar that intensified on MondayDistricts in the southern part of the state recorded light to moderate downpour in the 24 hours till 530 pm on Sunday with Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas receiving 684 millimetres rainfall and Kanthi in Purba Medinipur district 58 millimetreFourteen National Disaster Response Force teams were deployed across districts in south Bengal including Kolkata North and South 24 Parganas Purba and Paschim Medinipur Howrah and HooghlyThe West Bengal government has kept State Disaster Response Force teams ready Relief materials and quick response teams are in place according to the officialsRelief materials including dry food and tarpaulins have been dispatched to the coastal areas and quick response teams comprising trained civil defence volunteers and equipped vehicles are in placeThe cyclone has led to significant disruptions in air rail and road transportation in Kolkata and other parts of southern Bengal The Eastern and the South Eastern Railways cancelled some trains for Sunday and Monday reported PTIThe Kolkata airport suspended flight operations for 21 hours from Sunday noon affecting 394 flights in both international and domestic sectorsWith inputs from PTI