Cyclone Remal leaves trail of destruction: Homes damaged, trees uprooted, waterlogging in Kolkata
Times of India | 27 May 2024
KOLKATA: Cyclone Remal, moved north at 13 kilometers per hour over the past six hours, hitting the coasts of Bangladesh and nearby West Bengal.
At 01:30 AM IST on May 27, 2024, the storm's center was located at 21.9°N and 89.2°E, causing significant worry among people.
The cyclone had wind speeds of 110-120 kilometers per hour, with gusts up to 135 kilometers per hour, leading to considerable damage in the affected areas.Check the destruction it caused:
The storm brought torrential rains, uprooting of trees, waterlogging, flooding of homes and farmlands. In Kolkata's Bibir Bagan area, a wall collapsed because of heavy rain, injuring one person. According to reports, North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts experienced severe damage. Cyclone Remal caused significant damage by destroying fragile homes, uprooting trees, and toppling electric poles. Reports indicate that one person in the Gosaba area of the Sundarbans was injured by debris.Waterlogging was witnessed in parts of West Bengal's Kolkata following heavy rain in the race course area. Over 100,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable areas in West Bengal prior to the cyclone's impact.Nine disaster relief teams are on standby. The Indian Navy has two ships prepared with supplies and medical aid. Specialized diving and flood relief teams are also ready to respond.
Airfare soars
There was a rush for tickets to leave the city on Sunday morning, causing airfares to skyrocket before Kolkata airport closed for 21 hours, from noon on Sunday to 9 am on Monday. Between midnight and 12:16 pm, the airport saw 12,833 passengers depart on 71 flights and 10,283 passengers arrive on 63 flights. Airlines reported that most empty seats were booked on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
Impact on Metro
To ensure safety during bad weather, Metro began regulating services from 5:30 pm on Sunday. Services were suspended between Tollygunge and New Garia on the N-S line and shortened routes were operated between Dakshineswar and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar stations.
There were no services on the East-West Metro, Joka-Majerhat, or New Garia-Ruby lines on Sunday.
Exams deferred
Exams and events scheduled for Monday have been pushed back. Presidency University registrar Debajyoti Konar issued a notice saying UG and PG 2nd-sem exams were deferred to June 18.
St Xavier’s College rescheduled the 2nd and 4th sem exams to May 30 and June 3. JU and CU also rescheduled exams and said new dates will be announced later. Scottish Church College’s drama club workshop has also been pushed back.