Eight teams of 01 BN National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Guwahati were airlifted to Odisha for search and rescue operations in view of the impending Cyclonic Storm Yaas in Bay of Bengal.
Following the advisory issued by the Indian Meteorological Department, the state governments had requisitioned more than 50 teams of the NDRF in Odisha and 35 teams in West Bengal, stated Sh. H P S Kandari, Commandant, 01 NDRF.
Teams from NDRF battalions in Assam and Bihar are airlifted to Odisha and West Bangal respectively in addition to those from the battalion stationed in these districts.
The eight teams from 01 NDRF Guwahati comprises 200 personnel including engineers, paramedics, technical experts etc were airlifted from LGBI Airport Guwahati Assam to Biju Patnaik International Airport Bhubaneswar Odisha by the transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force in two Aircrafts.
These teams are equipped with flood rescue boats, collapse search & rescue operation specialist equipments.
Of 85 NDRF teams, 32 have been deployed in Bengal and 28 in Odisha. Some teams have also been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Cyclone Yaas is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours and will make its landfall on West Bengal and Odisha between between Sagar Island and Paradeep on Wednesday, IMD stated.
Yaas will bring winds of speed of up to 180 kms per hour and is expected to be as intense as Cyclone Tauktae.
It will intensify into very severe cyclonic storm when it hits the land in the next 48 hours, the weather department said.
The cyclonic storm is currently about 600 km of Port Blair, the IMD said in a update on Monday morning.
The governments of Bengal and Odisha are on high alert for the very severe cyclonic storm that will bring winds with a speed ranging 155-165 kmph and gusting to 185 kmph.
