Cyclone Yaas: 8 Guwahati NDRF Teams Depart for Odisha Rescue Operations

In anticipation of Cyclonic Storm Yaas in the Bay of Bengal, eight teams of the 01 BN National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Guwahati were airlifted to Odisha for search and rescue operations.

Following the Indian Meteorological Department's advisory, state governments in Odisha and West Bengal requisitioned more than 50 NDRF teams in Odisha and 35 teams in West Bengal, according to Sh. H P S Kandar. 

In addition to those from the battalions deployed in these districts, teams from NDRF battalions in Assam and Bihar are airlifted to Odisha and West Bengal, respectively. 

The eight teams from the 01 NDRF Guwahati, which total 200 people and include engineers, paramedics, and technical experts, were airlifted from LGBI Airport in Guwahati, Assam, to Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, by two Indian Air Force transport aircraft. 

These teams are fitted with flood rescue vessels as well as collapse search and rescue vehicles.

32 of the 85 NDRF teams have been deployed in Bengal, with the remaining 28 in Odisha. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have all received teams.

In the next 24 hours, Cyclone Yaas is expected to intensify into a strong cyclonic storm and make landfall on West Bengal and Odisha between Sagar Island and Paradeep on Wednesday, according to the IMD. 

Yaas is expected to bring winds of up to 180 km/h and will be as strong as Cyclone Tauktae.

When it reaches land in the next 48 hours, it will intensify into a very strong cyclonic storm, according to the weather service.

The cyclonic storm is currently about 600 kilometres from Port Blair, according to an update issued by the IMD on Monday morning.

The governments of Bengal and Odisha are on high alert for the cyclonic storm, which is expected to bring winds of 155-165 kmph with gusts up to 185 kmph.

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