Thousands of people were evacuated to low-lying areas in two Indian states and transferred to cyclone shelters to avoid the violent storms hitting the east coast.

The Meteorological Department of India said on Tuesday that Cyclone Yass will become a “very severe cyclone storm” with sustained wind speeds of up to 177 kilometers (110 miles) per hour.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall in Odisha and West Bengal early Wednesday.

Only 10 days after Cyclone Tauktae struck India’s west coast and killed more than 150 people, the cyclone accompanied by the devastating coronavirus surge has complicated India’s efforts to deal with these crises.

At 0830 of IST, SCS’Yaas’ is located 280 kilometers southeast of Paradip. In order to further aggravate and cross the North Orissa-West Bengal coast, between Paradip and Sagar, near to the north of Damla and south of Balasol, it was a strong event at noon on Wednesday, May 26. Cyclone storm. pic.twitter.com/U03UVjILj9

—India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 25, 2021

SN Pradhan, head of the Indian National Disaster Response Force, said that thousands of emergency personnel have been deployed in the coastal areas of the two states for evacuation and any possible rescue operations.

The Indian Air Force and Navy are also on standby at any time to carry out rescue work.

The location of forecast trawlers and boats should be covered up until further notice because the forecaster warned of high tides.

In West Bengal, authorities scrambled to move thousands of people to cyclone shelters. Officials say that at least 20 districts in the state will bear the brunt.

West Bengal State Disaster Management Minister Javid Ahmed Khan said that the evacuation of coastal areas and the Sandarban mangroves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, began on Sunday.

Khan told Agence France-Presse: “We must evacuate nearly half a million people… to schools (and) government offices. These schools have become cyclone centers and provide shelter for these people.”

Senior official Pradeep Jena said that in Odisha, a state already suffering from the coronavirus, the authorities evacuated nearly 15,000 coastal residents and moved them to hurricane shelters.

Fishermen moved their boats to safer ground to prevent Puri Beach along the Bay of Bengal in Odisha from being hit by Hurricane Yaya [AP Photo]

In a televised speech on Monday, the state’s chief minister Naveen Patnaik called on people to be transferred to cyclone shelters, wear double face masks and maintain social distancing.

He asked the authorities to distribute masks to the evacuated persons. “We must face these two challenges at the same time,” Patnaik said.

In neighbouring Bangladesh, authorities require all fishing boats and trawlers in the northern Gulf and deep seas of Bangladesh to move closer to the coast before Yaas approaches.

The country’s Meteorological Department issued a weather bulletin in Dhaka that ships should leave Nautical Chart, Mongla, Cox’s Bazar and Pera’s sea ports.

In Sri Lanka, the Bureau of Meteorology warned fishermen in the island country not to risk entering the Bay of Bengal.

“Since COVID-19 has not eased, this cyclone has caused double troubles for thousands of people in India. The country was hit by a second huge cyclone within two weeks and hit the number of COVID infections and deaths. A record high area.” Udaya Regmi, head of the South Asian delegation of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said in a statement.

Remy said: “The Indian Red Cross volunteers are working with the authorities to provide support for the safe evacuation of people in the direct path of the cyclone and prepare rafts in the event of storm surges, floods and relief supplies (such as food rations).”

Scientists say that cyclones in India are becoming more frequent, and changes in climate patterns make them more intense.

In May last year, nearly 100 people died in Hurricane Amphan, the largest storm that hit eastern India (including West Bengal) in 10 years. It flattened villages in eastern India and Bangladesh, destroyed farms, and deprived millions of people of power.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies stated in a statement that in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, there are still thousands of people recovering from Hurricane Anpan last year, and more than 100,000 of them are still living in temporary conditions. In the refuge.

“We can’t repair the damage done to our houses since the last hurricane. Now there is another hurricane, how will we stay here?” Samitri said, using only one name.