Cyclone 'Remal' is coming from the sea to wreak havoc, it will wreak havoc from Bengal to Bihar!

first cyclone of the season
This is the first cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal before this monsoon. According to the latest information released by the Meteorological Department at 7:50 pm on Saturday, the deep depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal has turned into cyclonic storm 'Remal' and is centered about 360 km south-southeast of Khepupara and 350 km south-southeast of Sagar Island. During this time, winds are expected to blow at a speed of 110-120 km per hour, which can reach up to 135 km per hour. In view of Cyclone Remal hitting the coast, Kolkata airport will suspend flight operations for nine hours from midnight on Sunday.

Airport and port closures
All cargo and container handling operations at Kolkata's Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port will be suspended for 12 hours from Sunday evening in view of the forecast of a cyclonic storm. Officials said the operations will be suspended from 6 pm on Sunday to 6 am on Monday. Port Chairman Rathendra Raman held a meeting on Saturday to monitor preparations to deal with the impact of the expected cyclone. In the meeting with port officials, he stressed on proactive measures and inter-departmental cooperation. Railway operations in the port area will also remain suspended during this period, officials said.

NDRF and SDRF teams deployed
Central and state agencies involved in disaster management are on standby in the wake of cyclone Ramal. A control room has been set up at the Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar for the state agencies. NDRF teams are moving towards the districts which are likely to be affected by the cyclone. The ICG is also issuing alerts to sailors besides coordinating with its Bangladeshi counterparts to deal with the situation in a proper manner. Meanwhile, the NDRF has deployed 12 teams in seven districts. One team will be deployed in Kolkata while two teams each will be deployed in North 24 Parganas, East Midnapore and West Midnapore districts. Three teams have been deployed in South 24 Parganas which is likely to be the worst affected. The remaining teams will be deployed in Howrah and Hooghly.

(With agency inputs)